Whatever It Takes
by TheOddFandom
Summary: Jirou is a cat, who has been in love with his owner, Shinchirou-sama, since the day they met. But his feelings, of course, are useless, and go unnoticed. Until, that is, Jirou meets Nina, a girl with the power to make him human. Now that he's been granted this chance, Jirou will do whatever it takes to stay by the side of his beloved master. MxM crossover story.
1. Chapter 1

_Once upon a time, a long time ago, I read a yaoi twoshot. In the first story, Gorou and Nana, two kitties, fell in love and got together. In the second story, Jirou, the third kitty who lived with them told his story and it broke my heart. All you need to know is this: Jirou is a cat who was picked up in the rain by his kind owner as a kitten, and fell in love with him._

 _And Nina is a character from Ultra Maniac, a witch who had the power to turn cats into humans._

 _Nobody will read this, but if somebody accidentally does stumble on it, that's all you really need to know. The Ultra Maniac characters won't be in here that much. Everything other than the characters will be my own ideas and story. Actually, if I just tweeked things, and changed names, I could probably just post this as an original story of Fiction Press._

 _I'll consider it._

 **Chapter 1: The Problem**

Jirou was curled up on the windowsill, staring out into the front yard. Nana and Gorou were running around the lawn, as energized as ever. He watched them with a feeling of envy.

Nana had been there for five months now, and he liked the young cat just fine, like a younger brother. And he'd known Gorou for awhile now, and while the black cat sometimes gave him a headache, he cared for him very much.

So, in conclusion, he was very happy for the two of them, when he figured out they were going out. He was a little weirded out at the same time, because Nana was only five months old, and had only been there a day. But, since human restrictions of age didn't exactly apply to cats, he let it go.

And, of course, he was lonelier now, as the two younger cats tended to hang out more with each other than him, but he had always been more solitary than other cats.

So, happy.

But, also envious.

They had only known each other a day, and had fallen in love and had sex. Sex! Here he was, three and a half years, and still a virgin. But, even that was not the source of his pain.

It was that no matter how much he wished it, or dreamed it of it, or prayed for it, the one he truly loved would never love him back, couldn't love him back.

It was not that the one he loved was trying to hurt him, he just didn't know how Jirou felt. And never would, since the siamese couldn't tell him. After all, how could a cat communicate with a human?

He had been in love with his owner, Master Shinchirou, since the day he'd found kitten Jirou in the rain, and given him his old fashioned name. But while animals could understand humans, humans couldn't understand them back.

Plus, humans could not see them as their true forms. They saw them as four legged, furry all over creatures, and that just wasn't how it was. Shinchirou-sama didn't see Jirou's human body, or Gorou's, or Nana's. He didn't see that the only thing that made them different were his ears and tail, and human ignorance.

Shinchirou-sama didn't see his beautiful, spiky, blond/white hair, or even the clothes he was wearing. Nor Gorou's black hair, Nana's brown, didn't see their long limbs and human faces. None of it.

So, Jirou had no choice but to love from so close, but at the same time, unbelievably far away.

At that moment, the door opened, and Shinchirou-sama walked in, a lady following behind him, and Jirou recognized her as Shinchirou-sama's mother. Gorou and Nana came in after the two humans, and Nana smiled brightly at him.

"Hi, Jirou ni-chan!"

"Hi, Nana. Did you have fun?" Jirou asked the hyper kitten, ever polite.

"Yes!" the kitten (who actually wasn't a kitten anymore) answered back. Jirou would have described the cat as innocent, but he was far from it. The little cat looked at the lady.

"Who is that?"

"The owner's mother." Gorou replied, and his ear flicked with interest. "She always brings treats for us." the black cat grinned broadly. "Come on Jirou, Nana!"

The younger cats hopped away, heading for the lady, but Jirou didn't follow. He went instead to the kitchen, where Shinchirou-sama was setting down his stuff. Jirou didn't interrupt, just waited silently for Shinchirou-sama to sit at the table, which he did a bit later.

Jirou jumped onto the table as Gorou and Nana started to meow at the mother's feet.

"Hello, Jirou." Shinchirou-sama said, and Jirou said, "Welcome home," thought it only came out as a meow to his owner.

Still, Shinchirou smiled and reached out a hand to stroke Jirou. Jirou hopped into his lap and pressed himself against his owner, trying to convey his feelings to him.

"Really, Shin-chan." said his mother. "You spend too much time with these cats." She dropped two treats on the floor for Gorou and Nana, who snatched them up. "What you need is a girlfriend."

Jirou's ears perked up at this, and he looked at Shinchirou-sama worriedly. Inside him, he'd always had a blossom of hope, that someday they could be together. But if Shinchirou-sama got a girlfriend...that would crush his last hope.

"Mom, I don't have time for a girlfriend." Shinchirou-sama answered, and Jirou felt himself relax a little.

The mother stayed for maybe an hour, and the whole time Jirou stayed firmly on Shinchirou-sama's lap. He didn't listen to the rest of the conversation, just fell asleep.

When he woke up, Shinchirou-sama was carrying him to his big, human bed. Jirou felt warm inside. He loved sleeping in the same bed as his master, but he wished he could it as a human.

Shinchirou-sama got into the bed, letting go of Jirou so that he could get comfortable. The siamese curled up on his master's chest, peering up at him and purring softly. He imagined once more that he was human and they were lovers, sharing a bed after a long day.

"Night Jirou." Shinchirou-sama mumbled sleepily. "Love you."

Jirou knew he only meant it how a human loved a pet. He wished he didn't.

"I love you too." he said, but all his kind, loving master heard was a meow. He tried again. And once more. When his owner did nothing, he lay his head down and held back his tears.

*(*)

The next morning, Jirou was alone outside, and he could hear Gorou and Nana in the house, knocking stuff over. And Shinchirou-sama scolding them lightly. He shut his eyes and listened to the human's voice, his tail twitching lightly.

Then a new scent hit the air. It was the scent of another cat. He opened his eyes, and saw a silver cat hopping their wall. They locked eyes, and the cat smiled.

"Hi! I'm Leo!"

Jirou took in the cat's invisible human form. It was a young boy, about Nana's age. He seemed friendly, so Jirou stood up, and went over.

"I'm Jirou."

"Jirou? That's a cool name."

That was the first time somebody had called his name cool, instead of odd, or strange, or old.

"Thank you. Are you lost?" The boy was fairly young, so Jirou could believe he had wandered from home.

Leo shook his head.

"No, I was just waiting for Nina and Ayu to get out of school. I smelled cats over here, so I came to say hello."

"Is Nina your human?"

Leo nodded. "Yep! She should be getting out soon, but I've got time to kill."

This was when Gorou and Nana appeared, having heard Leo from inside. For an hour, the cats mingled. A new face was exciting, and even Jirou got in on some pouncing and tumbling.

Eventually, Gorou and Nana found a reason to go off on their own. Jirou was pretty sure he knew the reason, and he lied to Leo, telling him they went to take a nap.

"Well, who is this?" Shinchirou-sama suddenly inquired. Both cats flinched, caught off guard. Leo went over, meowing, accepting the human's friendly pats.

"You must be one of the neighbor's cats."

Leo just meowed.

"Is this your owner?" Leo asked.

Jirou nodded, and silently stared at his human.

Wishing.

"Well, I'm off to work. Jirou, keep a close eye on your new friend."

"Okay." Jirou responded, then tilted his ears into the scratch that Shinchirou-sama gave him. "Be careful on the road." the cat added. Of course, Shinchirou didn't understand him.

"Love you Jirou."

"Love you too." He watched with sad eyes as the human walked away. He might as well be talking to a tree.

A few minutes after Shinchirou-sama was gone, a human voice called out, waking Leo and Jirou from the doze they'd fallen into.

"There you are, Leo!"

The cats looked over, and Jirou saw a human girl with short blond hair, and in a school uniform. "Nina's been searching for you!"

"Sorry, Nina. I made some friends."

Jirou listened, and thought, "So, I'm not the only one who talks to them like they understand."

"That's cool. What's his name?"

Wait.

She had...talked back?

That was impossible!

"Jirou."

"Jirou? Cool name!"

Jirou launched to his feet, eyes wide.

"She can hear us!?"

Leo looked at him, and so did the girl.

"Not exactly. You see, I'm a magical cat. And she's a witch. We come from the Magical Kingdom."

Jirou tried to take it all in. This was crazy.

"So...she can't understand me? Or see my human form?" Jirou felt his spirits deflate. He'd wanted to tell her to tell Shinchirou-sama his feelings. But he got another idea.

"Could you pass a message to her for me, please? I need to tell my owner something important."

"What's Jirou-kun saying, Leo?" the witch girl asked.

"He wants me to tell you to tell his owner something."

"Oh." The girl looked at Jirou, and he saw something in her eyes. An idea. She courched down, so they were eye to eye.

"Jirou-kun, is this something very important?"

"Yes!" he blurted immediately. Leo didn't translate. It was obvious what he'd said.

"What if Nina told you she could help you out. So that you can tell your owner yourself?"

Jirou stared at her, dumbstruck.

"How? What do you mean?"

Leo translated, then said to Jirou, "Watch this." Nina picked something from her pocket, and gave it to Leo to swallow.

There was a flash of light, and then Leo was standing next to him.

As a human.


	2. Chapter 2

_By the way, in the original Peach Drops story, the owner didn't have a name. I gave him Shinchirou, and I wish I didn't, because it's long bro._

 **Chapter 2: The Solution**

"H-how?"

Jirou was dizzy with disbelief. She could turn cats human? How was this possible? Were his prayers finally being answered? Could he really be human, and stay alongside the one he loved, in ways he never could before?

"Please!" he begged. "Please turn me human! It's all I've ever wanted!"

After Leo's translation, Nina spoke to Jirou again. "Nina will be happy to help you, Jirou-kun. But you have to promise something first."

Knowing that his following meow was a, "What?" she continued.

"You can tell your owner who you really are, if you want. Nina can't stop you. But promise you won't tell him Nina was the one who did it. It's a secret, okay?"

"Yes!" If that was all he had to promise, that would be really easy. "I promise!"

"He promised." Leo said.

Nina held out another small thing, a cat treat, and he swallowed it, without any hesitation.

Another flash, and then Jirou was face to face with the not so human girl. He reached up to feel for his ears, and looked around for his tal. They weren't there. He was finally a human.

"Thank you." he breathed out, and she smiled. It was a beautiful smile.

"You're cute, Jirou-kun!" she held out a small pocket mirror, but he didn't have to look. He knew what he looked like. Not even witches knew everything.

He hugged her. The first human he'd ever hugged. She was smaller than him, but not by much.

"What did you want to tell your owner so badly, Jirou?" Leo asked. Jirou blushed.

"It's private."

The way Nina smiled gave him the feeling she knew.

"Well, good luck, Jirou-kun!" she said, and started to walk away, Leo following, but then stopped.

"Nina almost forgot!" she held something out, and Jirou took it. It was another cat treat. "This is in case you ever decide to be a cat again."

He shook his head, but pocketed the treat. "I'll never want to be a cat again."

She smiled. "Well, hold on to it, just in case."

She left.

*(*)

Jirou stood in the yard, trying to decide what to do. If he didn't tell Shinchirou-sama who he was, he couldn't just be standing here when he got back. And he certainly couldn't go inside.

There was no way Shinchirou-sama would believe him. He could provide details on his daily ritual that only he knew, but then he might think Jirou was a stalker.

Maybe he could go to Shinchirou-sama's work, and pretend to meet for the first time. Except he didn't know where Shinchirou-sama worked.

"Jirou, is that you?" he suddenly heard. Peeking out the door at him was Gorou, looking up at him with wide eyes. Nana poked his head out too.

"Jirou nii-san! You're a human!"

"I know." Jirou didn't question how he could still understand the cats. It wasn't like you forgot an old language when you learned a new one.

"How'd you do that?" Gorou asked, stepping outside. He could still see them in their human forms too. He told them about Nina, and they looked up at him in awe.

"That's amazing!" Nana said.

"Yeah." Gorou agreed. "Now you finally get your wish. "

Jirou blushed. Gorou had known all along? Nana looked confused. "What wish?"

The black cat smiled. "Jirou's in love with our master."

Nana's jaw dropped, but then he smiled. "I'm so happy for you, Jirou nii-san!"

He'd kind of expected them to feel betrayed, or confused, so the fact that they seemed to happy made him even more joyous. He could finally be with Shinchirou-sama!

His good mood made him take off running, shouting back to his friends, "I'm going to go find him!"

He sniffed the air, relieved to find that he still had his cat senses. He would just follow Shinchirou-sama's scent! He knew for a fact that his master walked to work, it was how they had met after all. He followed the scent, narrowly avoiding cars. He didn't really know the rules of the road much. He's mostly stayed inside, or went out on the porch.

The scent went into a building, and he stopped.

"I bet that's where Shinchirou-sama works." he said outloud. Now that he was here, he was confused again on what he should do next.

Knowing that his master never came home until almost dark, he thought about going home, and waiting there. But what a waste of a trip that would be. He was here, so he might as well stay. To kill time, he wandered around the area, never straying too far from the building that Shinchirou-sama's scent came from. He talked to a few confused cats, and ran away when some dogs barked at him.

Before he knew it, the sun was down. He watched with excitement as his master left the building and started his walk home. Jirou followed from a distance, unsure how to approach.

"Hey there." a voice suddenly said from behind him. He turned, surprised, and intimidated by the large, scary looking man behind him.

"H-hello." he managed to say, then tried to continue his pursuit. But the man followed him.

"No need to be frightened. I just want to talk."

"Sorry, I'm busy." he said a little more forcefully.

But then he felt a strong grip close around his arm, and yank him into an alley they were passing. He barely managed a choked gasp as the man forced him against the wall.

"Not too busy for me you aren't."

"Shinchirou-sama!" he called out, and the man put a hand over his mouth.

"Don't be like that, kitten." he said softly, and under other circumstances, Jirou might have laughed at the word choice. But not then. Knowing he didn't have any other choice, he started to fight as best as he could manage. But the man only laughed. His laugh was cut short as a wide eyed Shinchirou appeared, having heard the disturbance behind him.

"You let that boy go!" he demanded, and before the man could object, Shinchirou suddenly kicked him in the back of the leg, then punched him in the face, knocking the man out. Jirou gaped in shock. When had his master learned to fight like that?

"Are you okay?"

Jirou blinked, and couldn't stop himself from hugging his owner.

"You saved me again." he whispered to him, shutting his eyes, savoring his first real hug with his beloved master.

Shinchirou-sama didn't push him off, but did repeat, sounding a little confused, "Again?"

Jirou scrambled to come up with something to say, pulling out of the hug, but couldn't come up with a believable lie quick enough.

"Just uh...thank you very much." he finally said, and bowed, the way he'd seen humans do when showing respect to each other.

"It was no problem. Are you sure you're alright?" Shinchirou-sama asked, still sounding worried. He was so nice, he cared about everyone so much. Jirou nodded, straigtening up from his bow.

"Alright. You sit here. I'm going to call the police to take this man away."

Jirou waited off to the side while his owner did just that, giving his statement when a police officer asked for it. Eventually, they had the man in a police cruiser, and they drove away, leaving the two alone again.

"Where do you live?" Shinchirou-sama asked. "I'll walk you home. You shouldn't be alone after all that."

"Uh…" Jirou paused. What could he say? He lived with Shinchirou-sama, had lived with him all his life. His first idea was to say he lived with Nina the witch, but he had no idea where she lived. Maybe if he could Shinchirou-sama to take him home first, he could follow their scents.

After the silence had dragged out a little too long, in which Jirou made it obvious he was trying to come up with something to say, Shinchirou-sama asked delicately, "Did you run away from home?"

That was believable. Jirou did look quite young, and probably passed as a highschool student, even though his human years were closer to thirty. Whatever got him out of this situation quicker.

He nodded slowly. "I uh...I'm not as young as I look. T-twenty-one." he said, feeling stupid already. "But, uh...I lived with my parents...but today...I...we...I ran away." God, was it obvious he was lying, because it sure felt like it was.

"It must have been a bad fight." Shinchirou-sama said, "If you didn't pack anything."

Jirou nodded, and then was scared that Shinchirou-sama would try and get him to tell him where his fake home was again, try to convince him to go home and make amends with the parents that didn't exist.

"Well, if you want, you can stay at my place, until you get things worked out."

Jirou looked at his master, eyes wide. Things couldn't really be this easy? Could they? "R-really?"

"Sure. You're an adult, and I can't make you go home. But I can't leave you alone on the streets without any money or clothes, either."

"T-thank you very much. I'm in your care." Jirou stuttered, dropping into another bow, saying something he'd sometimes heard the humans on the television say when moving in with someone, that Shinchirou returned politely.

"I look forward to it."


	3. Chapter 3

**If you ever want to know how cute Jirou is, you should go look up the yaoi doujinshi Peach Drops. Or maybe just type in his name and "Peach Drops" in google images. That might work. I'll go check. Psh. It didn't. Well, trust me, he's a cutie.**

 **Chapter 3**

He followed behind Shinchirou-sama for the last stretch of the walk, because he'd realized he was confusing his owner by leading the way for the first couple minutes. He wasn't supposed to know where Shinchirou-sama lived after all.

As they were coming up to the house, Shinchirou-sama politely introduced himself, then asked, "What's your name?"

"Ji...Jinshiro." Jirou replied, not realizing until almost too late that he probably shouldn't give his real name.

"Hey, our names rhyme." Shinchirou-sama said with a smile, and Jirou nodded, coming to a stop as they reached the house. Gorou and Nana were both sitting on the porch, and began to talk excitedly when they walked up, Jirou trailing behind his master.

"You found him!" Nana said excitedly.

"We were worried you'd get lost." Gorou added, both cats standing and coming up to Jirou. To Shinchirou-sama, it just looked like his two cats had taken an immediate interest in him, and were meowing insistently at his feet.

"Wow, they really like you." he said, and Jirou smiled, and leaned down to pet his friends gently.

"Nice to meet you." he said, smiling, and they smiled back, and laughed.

"You didn't tell him?" Gorou asked, following as the human made their way into the house. "Why is he letting you in the house? Did you stalk him all the way from work, and he just happened to find it charming?"

Jirou refrained from speaking to Gorou, something that was weird. Gorou and he had been friends a long time. If felt odd to have to pretend he couldn't understand them.

"Maybe they're hungry." Shinchirou-sama said, and he grabbed up the empty cat food dishes from the floor and began to fill them. After he'd put them back on the floor, he straightened up, and called into the emptiness of the house, "Jirou, dinner!"

Jirou froze, only just then realizing what this meant for Shinchirou-sama. Both Gorou and Nana, who had started to eat the food, paused, and looked at Jirou, waiting to see what he would say and do.

"He's my other cat." Shinchirou-sama said. "I hope you don't mind that I've got three of them."

"N-not at all." Jirou whispered, looking at the floor, then at Gorou and Nana for help.

"You have to tell him." Nana said, but Jirou shook his head. There was no way he'd believe him. Ever.

"That's weird." Shinchirou-sama said. "He's usually the first to greet me, and he always comes when I call. Jirou!" When again, there came no sign of a siamese cat, Shinchirou-sama began walking, going back out to check the front porch.

"I'm just gonna search for him real quick. Feel free to get something to eat. I'm sure he's around here somewhere. It'll just be a minute."

Jirou gulped, with still no clue on what to say or do. Shinchirou-sama would be okay, wouldn't he? After all, Jirou was just a cat. He'd be okay. He watched for a little as his owner checked the rooms, then turned away, and made his way to the cupboards. Part of it was so he wouldn't have to watch, but he also was actually hungry. He hadn't eaten since that morning.

He opened the cupboard, looking at the food. He couldn't read the human writing, and had no idea what anything was. He grabbed something he sometimes saw Shinchirou-sama use when he was cooking, and looked at it, not sure what to do next.

"He uses this a lot, doesn't he?" Gorou asked, trying to be helpful, hopping up next to a box that they did see their owner using often. Jirou nodded, and walked over to it, and tried to open it. He failed, and tried again. After a third failed attempt, he noticed the buttons, and pushed the biggest one, hoping it would do something useful.

The door to the box swung open, and Jirou sighed in relief, and put the human food inside it. Remembering a little more now, he hit a different button, and, to his delight, the box lite up, and the food started rotating inside. That meant it was cooking.

"Good job!" Nana said, joing them on the counter. As they waited for the spinning and cooking to stop, Jirou's attention was drawn back to Shinchirou-sama, who was now going back outside, looking concerned.

"Jirou!" he shouted out the open door, out into the human world. He waited a minute, then shut the door, sighing. "He probably just went out for a walk. I'm sure he's alright."

"Y-yeah." Jirou nodded. "Probably. Cats do that alot."

"Yeah." Shinchirou-sama replied, but sounded uncertain. "But Jirou's always been an indoor cat. I'm not sure he'd survive out there."

Jirou wasn't hurt by these words, because they were probably true. He wasn't equipped to survive in the outside world. "I'm...I'm sure he'll be back soon." he said, trying to sound comforting, but it was hard to do when he sounded like he was going to cry.

Suddenly, behind him, Gorou and Nana began to yowl in alarm, and Jirou and Shinchirou-sama turned to check out the problem. The cooking box was burning, with sparks flying around the kitchen. Gorou and Nana fled, but Jirou ran back to it, trying to fix his mistake.

"Wait! Get away!" Shinchirou-sama shouted, running over, and tackling Jirou just as the cooking box exploded, sending bits of itself everywhere. Jirou screamed, frightened and confused, and Shinchirou-sama blocked him with his body, until the bits stopped falling.

"Are you alright?" he asked Jirou, who took a moment to breath heavily, before nodding mutely.

"Y-yes."

"What happened?" Shinchirou-sama stood up, and looked around, and Jirou joined him, shaking slightly as he looked. The cooking box was everywhere, and so were bits of what he recogzied as food by the smell. The can he'd put in was also scattered around, and Shinchirou-sama picked a part of it up off the ground.

"Did you put an opened can of corn in the microwave, Jinshiro-san?" he asked, looking at the writing on the can. Jirou, terrified he would kick him out, couldn't get the words out of his mouth. He quickly dropped into his third bow of the day.

"I'm so sorry Shinchirou-sama." he said. "I...I don't know how...and I couldn't read what it…" he trailed off, because he was starting to cry. He buried his face in his hands, still in his bow. He felt a gentle pair of hands grab them and pull them away, and he didn't fight.

"It's alright." Shinchirou-sama said. "You don't have to be so frightened. I'm not going to do anything to you. And you don't have to address me so formally."

Jirou stood back up, still shaking a little, and nodded. He should have known Shinchirou-sama wouldn't kick him out. His master was the kindest human that ever lived.

"Now, what were you saying? You don't know how to use a microwave? And you can't read?" Shinchirou-sama was also smart, and had figured out what Jirou was trying to tell him. Jirou nodded silently, and watched Shinchirou-sama think it over. He probably thought Jirou was from some abused family who never taught him to read and beat him often, based on what he'd seen so far.

"Are you guys okay?" Gorou asked, appearing back into the kitchen, with Nana close behind. They'd probably ran halfway across the house before turning back to check on them.

"Yes." Jirou replied. He was answering his friends, but luckily, it came out sounding like a continuing answer to Shinchirou-sama's question.

When he heard them meow, Shinchirou-sama turned to look at Gorou and Nana, bringing his attention back to his thoughts before all this.

"Oh. That's right. I have to keep looking for Jirou."

Jirou was quiet for a moment, before he offered softly, "You probably...shouldn't. I'm sure...he's alright."

Shinchirou-sama was silent for a couple seconds, before he nodded, sighing heavily. "You're right. I have to get this all cleaned up anyway. He'll be back by tomorrow. I'm sure of it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Night came, and of course, Jirou did not. Not the Jirou that Shinchirou-sama was waiting for, anyway. Jirou tried to distract him, mostly by looking really dumb by asking the names of lots of things. Like the television, and the fridge. Jirou and the cats had previously called them the talking box and the cooling box. He would pass this information along to them, along with microwave, when they were alone.

When it came time to sleep, Jirou followed Shinchirou-sama, into his master's room.

"I have a guest room but it's cluttered with junk." Shinchirou-sama told him, which he knew. He, Gorou and Nana liked to go in there and play hide and seek, and take turns scaring each other by popping out from boxes and bags. It was lots of fun. So much so that for a moment, thinking about it, Jirou was sad, because he couldn't do that anymore. But it was worth it.

"So for now, I hope you won't mind sharing my bed with me and-" and then Shinchirou-sama stopped, and sighed, laughing a little awkwardly. "I was going to say "Jirou." He usually sleeps with me. Actually, he's done it every night since I found him."

"Oh." Jirou said, even though he'd been about to say, "I know."

"Sorry I keep talking about him. I'm just worried about him."

Jirou nodded silently, then moved on quickly. "I don't uh...mind. Sharing the bed."

Shinchirou-sama nodded, and smiled, then started digging through his drawers, coming out with a pair of pajamas he often wore.

"You can wear these, if you don't mind."

Jirou shook his head, grabbing the clothes and looking awkward. He excused himself and went to the bathroom, changing into the clothes. It wasn't exactly easy, since he'd only ever wore his one outfit, and never had a reason to take it off. Eventually, after minimal flailing, he got them on. They didn't fit perfectly, but were close enough.

Jirou pressed the fabric of the clothes to his nose and breathed in the smell. He'd smelled the clothes before, in fact, he could smell himself on the clothes, but it was still something amazing. He was wearing Shinchirou-sama's clothes. And he would lay next to him in bed.

When he went back to the room, Shinchirou-sama was already changed, but not laying in the bed yet, seemingly waiting for Jirou. Once they were both in the bed, Jirou restrained himself from cuddling into his master, like he always had come night time.

"So, uh." Jirou said softly, but he didn't know what else to say. There hadn't been a planned end to the sentence. He couldn't really get his thoughts in order, because all he could think about was the fact that he was in the bed with Shinchirou-sama, as a human, like he'd always wished. He shut his eyes, breathing in and out, and managed to hold back his smile.

"Thank you. For letting me stay."

Shinchirou-sama yawned. "It's not a problem. Besides...I feel like I know you, somehow. Isn't that weird?"

Jirou shook his head, smiling openly now. "I don't think so. I feel like I know you too."

*(*)

It was impossible to fall asleep, because he was so aware of Shinchirou-sama. Even after the human fell asleep, Jirou stayed awake, glad he wasn't a regular human who had work tomorrow. He was excited too, after the day he'd had, and he knew sleep wouldn't come easily.

Finally, just as a hint of sunlight peeked over the horizon, Jirou managed to fall asleep.

The next day, Shinchirou-sama made breakfast, and the two of them laughed and talked as they ate. Human food was really good, as Jirou was learning, better than anything he'd tasted before. It was a light atmosphere, for the most part. But there was also a tiny sadness in the air, that Jirou knew was coming from Shinchirou-sama. He tried to ignore it, even though he knew what was causing it.

Gorou jumped up onto the table to speak with Jirou, saying, "Hey, let me try some, if it's so good." Jirou rolled his eyes, but did as instructed, giving some to both Gorou, and Nana, who was so excited by the food that he ran around the table, knocking Jirou's plate off the table. The plate itself didn't break, which was lucky, but the food was everywhere.

"I'll take care of it." his master said, going down the hallway. Jirou sat at the table, waiting, whispering quietly to Gorou and Nana about the things he'd learned already. Their quiet conversation came to an end, when suddenly, a noise from Jirou's nightmares ripped through the air. It was loud, and scary, and it sent, he, Gorou, and Nana sprinting down the hall, running into the room filled with junk.

"It was that monster again." Gorou panted, as Nana leaped into a nearby box. This was where the three of them always hid whenever Shinchirou-sama used that monstrous tool. It was much too loud and frightening.

There was a knock on the door. "Jinshiro-kun, are you alright? I didn't mean...well I didn't think you'd…"

Jirou opened the door, blushing in embarrassment. "Uh, sorry. I just uh...don't like the sound of those things."

"Vacuums?" Shinchirou-sama asked, seeming confused, but then he nodded. "I'm sorry. I should have known."

It occurred to Jirou that Shinchirou-sama probably thought he was some boy who had been beaten in a dark room, where he'd never been allowed to leave. It was the only explanation for why he had no idea what common household items were called, and frightened by others. Well, for now, he just wouldn't say anything.

"It's not your fault." he said, stepping out of the room. "I'm sorry."

Shinchiro-sama smiled, and suddenly began to laugh, making Jirou take a step back, cocking his head in confusion. Had his apology been funny, somehow?

"I'm sorry." his master managed to say after a minute. "You just...reminded me so much of a cat. The way you ran off down the hall. You even hid with my cats."

Jirou found himself blushing fiercely, and he looked at the ground, unsure what to say next. He looked up when he felt a hand on his head, looking up into Shinchiro-sama's eyes. His master laughed again, and this time, Jirou managed a smile back.

They spent the next couple hours alternating between talking and watching TV. The television had never really interested Jirou before, but now, it was much more interesting. He saw Shinchirou-sama watching him watching the TV out of the corner of his eye, and wondered what he was thinking. Probably he was amazed again at how totally out of the loop Jirou was.

It was during one of the moments they'd chosen to focus on the TV that Jirou heard his owner let out a small sigh, one a human with normal hearing wouldn't have picked up on. He turned, and saw, for a brief second, a look of sadness of his owner's face. But when he saw that he was looking, Shinchirou-sama smiled. Jirou didn't let it slide.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. I'm alright. I was just...thinking about Jirou again. I hope he's okay."

Jirou paused, once more swarmed with guilt. "I'm sure...he's alright."

Finally, it came time for Shinchirou-sama to leave for work. He asked Jirou about tweleve times if he'd be alright left alone, each time Jirou assuring he would be. He'd stayed behind while Shinchirou-sama went to work for his whole life. And this would be his chance to tell Gorou and Nana all the new things he had learned.

"If you get hungry, there's some snacks in the cuboards. You don't have to microwave them or anything. Just open and eat them."

"Which are those?" Jirou asked, risking looking stupid so that he wouldn't later end up eating a sack of flour or something. His master showed him the snack, and then buttoned up his coat, standing in the doorway.

"I'll be back around six. You'll be okay until then?"

"Yes, Shinchirou-sama."

Shinchirou-sama smiled, and said, "I told you, you don't have to call me that."

Jirou nodded, even though he had no intention of stopping. That was all he'd ever called his master, and he wasn't planning on stopping.

"Watch the cats for me, okay? And could you keep an eye out for Jirou? He's a siamese cat."

"Okay." Jirou answered, and Shinchirou-sama smiled, then turned to walk away.

"See you later."

"Have a good day at work!" Jirou said, bursting with joy that for the first time, his owner was hearing him wish him off. "Be safe!"

Once he was gone, Gorou and Nana both crowded him, so he sat on the ground, telling them everything he'd learned, as they sat in his lap and listened. Once they finally fisnished chattering excitedly about all of those things, Nana soured the mood a little.

"So, what are you planning to do?" the younger cat asked. "About, well, yourself."

"Yeah. If you don't say anything, he'll think forever that you, as a cat, just ran away and never came back."

Jirou shrugged. "What else can I do? He wouldn't believe me if I told him the truth, anyway."

"Maybe he would." Nana said, stretching out his limbs and curling into a ball on the floor, clearly growing sleepy. Gorou too looked tired, but he managed to stay awake a little longer, offering his advice to Jirou.

"Think about it, anyway." the black said. "Telling him. No real rush."

Jirou nodded, and, as the black cat curled into his own ball, he couldn't stop himself from joining them, laying on the floor, and falling asleep just like he always did.

He woke up about two hours later. Both Gorou and Nana were still asleep, but Jirou stood up, stretching his arms out. Sleeping on the floor was much more uncomfortable as a human. His stomach growled, and he ate a few of the snacks Shinchirou-sama had left for him. When he was done, he cleaned up, wanting to do something to repay his owner for letting him stay there. But Shinchirou-sama was a very tidy person, and there wasn't much to clean up, so after another hour, he was done, standing in the kitchen, looking left and right for something to do.

As a cat, he never had to try very hard to find something to do. Mostly because he didn't really feel the urge to do anything. But as a human, he had the desire to move around a little more. He opened the front door and looked out into the frontyard. Just yesterday, he'd been sitting in this yard, same as now, but he'd been a cat. And now...he was a human.

What a difference a day (and a witch) could make. It was horrible to think about. If Leo hadn't come to pick the girl Nina up from school, if he hadn't smelled them, and then come to play, he would still be a cat, still hurting inside, wishing with all his heart for something he thought was impossible.

Gorou and Nana heard him go outside, and luckily, helped pass much more time, playing with him out in the yard. They sat on the sofa with him, as he explained the things that were happening on the television. With his help, the cats found it much more interesting.

Jirou couldn't tell time, but years of waiting taught him how to judge it. About an hour before Shinchirou-sama was set to come home, he decided to go for a walk.

"A walk?" Nana asked, tail twitching nervously. Gorou's twitched too, but it was with interest. "Why would you do that?"

"I should learn the neighborhood, right? So I can be more usefull to Shinchirou-sama. He can send me to that food place he goes to." The cats had long ago realized that the human's food was all being kept some place, all they all had to go there to get it.

"Yeah." Gorou said. "Can we come?"

Nana jumped a little, obviously not liking the idea, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Okay." Jirou said. "But stick close to me."

"Right."

Nana didn't need to be told twice. The younger cat was practically glued to Jirou's side as they walked, jumping everytime a car went by, hair bristling in fear when humans shouted. Gorou was much more excited, leaping around and investigating everything they passed. Jirou was a mixture of the two. Curious and excited to learn, but also scared. He made sure not to take many turns, because he did not want to lose him way back home.

They came to a building that had many, many cars parked infront of it, and lots of people going in and out. They were all carrying the same bags that Shinchirou-sama carried whenever he went out for food.

"This must be the food place." Jirou said, and the two younger cats nodded. Nana, finally easing up a little, jumped out of his arms, sniffing the air.

"There are lots of smells coming from in there."

"Let's go in." Gorou said, and Jirou and Nana followed behind him. Jirou saw people staring at them as they headed toward the building, and he wondered why, trying to come up with some guesses. Maybe animals weren't allowed in the building?

"Guys, I don't think animals are allowed in." Jirou said, and the trio stopped.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Gorou asked, and Jirou considered it.

"Well, remember how Shinchirou-sama doesn't like it when we get our hair in his food? If this place if full of food, it's probably the same thing."

"Oh." Nana said. "Yeah, you're right."

So the trio headed back towards home. They were only a few minutes away when suddenly, there came a sound that froze them all in their tracks.

It was barking.

Jirou wasn't afraid of all dogs. Most dogs were friendly, or at least left them alone, on the rare times he did venture out of the frontyard. But this didn't sound like friendly barking. He turned, and knew right away he was correct in this assumption. The dog in question was big, and it's teeth were bared. There weren't any humans around that it seemed to belong to.

"G-go away!" Jirou said, speaking to it as a cat, so that it would understand him. But this only seemed to make it worse, and the dog began to stalk forward. It was very skinny, for such a big looking dog, but Jirou knew that would only make him faster. Both Nana and Gorou were bristling, hissing and trying not to look scared. Nana wasn't doing as well as Gorou, so Jirou bent down and scooped the young cat up.

His movement startled the dog into movement, and it charged them, barking and snarling. Gorou darted off, gone in a flash, and Jirou quickly went after him, crushing Nana against his chest. He ran as fast as he ever had, panting and puffing. He could hear the dog chasing them, and no matter how fast it ran, it seemed to be faster, catching up quickly.

Jirou's blood was pounding in his veins, and he was as terrified as he had been the night before, when that strange man had pulled him into the alley.

The house came into view, and Jirou put on a burst of speed. Gorou beat him to the yard, and ran in, darting under the porch. Nana leaped out of his arms and did the same, and Jirou turned to latch the gate shut. But he wasn't quick enough, and the dog forced it's way in. Jirou braced himself, but it went right by him, throwing itself to the ground, snarling fiercly as it tried to force itself under the porch.

The spot was too small for the dog, but not by much. If it tried harder, it would be able to sqeeze itself in.

"Stop!" Jirou screamed, and a second later, he threw himself on the dog, tackling it to the ground. It turned it's fury on him, trying to bite him as he held on, but it couldn't reach it's head around. He couldn't hold on tight enough though, and the dog was able to free itself. The moment it did, it leaped on top of him, it's teeth snapping inches in front of his face. Jirou fought back and much as he could, yowling and screaming in a way that he knew regular humans would not.

"Jinshiro-san!" he heard, and a couple seconds later, Shinchirou-sama was there, with something in his hand. His owner hesitated only a brief second before he started whacking the dog with whatever it was. The canine stopped it's attack, and, luckily, ran off, leaving Jirou panting and trembling in the dirt.

"Are you alright!?" Shinchirou-sama asked, leaning down and examining his body. He was dirty, and his clothes were torn, but Jirou was pretty sure he didn't have any injuries.

"Y-yeah."

Gorou and Nana both ran out from under the porch, jumping onto him worriedly.

"Are you okay?" they both asked, and Jirou nodded silently.

"I'm okay."

"What happened?" Shinchiro-sama asked, as he helped Jirou back to his feet.

"I went for a walk." he said. "Your cats came with me. And we bumped into that dog. It chased us back to the house, and tried to go after Gorou and Nana. So I…"

Shinchirou-sama nodded, and then hugged him suddenly. Jirou froze, even though every cell in his body was screaming at him to hug back.

"Thank you for protecting them. And I'm so glad you're-"

And then suddenly he stopped, and gave Jirou a strange look. "Wait. I don't remember telling you the cat's names…" he said slowly, and Jirou's heart jumped in his chest, and he tried to quickly think of an explanation.

"You did." was the best he came up with, and Shinchirou-sama only thought about it for a second before shrugging it off.

"You're all dirty now, Jinshiro-san. Let's get you a bath running."

Jirou froze, the image of all that running water bursting into his mind. He knew that word.

A bath.

It was one nightmare after another.


	5. Chapter 5

_Nobody is reading this except my sis, but that really is alright. I'm just having a blast writing it._

 **Chapter 5`**

Jirou took a deep breath, and then did it again. Then he spent the next three or four minutes doing it, trying to calm himself down as his owner got the bath running. He had to be calm. He couldn't continue like he had so far, looking like a giant spazz again and again.

But he knew that word.

Bath.

It was what the humans called it when they soaked in a giant, hard hole filled with water. They did it to get clean, Jirou knew that too. And yeah, he was kind of dirty after his wrestle with the dog. And sure, he couldn't clean himself off like he had done before.

And okay, he knew it didn't actually hurt humans, because he'd seen Shinchirou-sama take a bath time and time again, but still.

He didn't want to get in.

He could hear the water rumbling from the other side of the house, and he hissed under his breath reflexively. He could barely handle rain. There was no way he could handle this.

"Jinshiro-san, the bath is ready!" Shinchirou-sama called out, his voice echoing through the house. Both Gorou and Nana, who were in the room with him, watched in amazement and disbelief as Jirou slowly made his way over, peeking in nervously.

"Oh. Um. Okay."

"Just put your dirty clothes over here." his master said, indicating a spot on the counter. "I'll wash them."

"Okay." Jirou said again, trying to look calm as he stepped into the bathroom. He slowly looked over at the water, hoping it wouldn't look so scary as a human. But the sight of it still sent him into shivers, and he backed up a few steps automatically.

"Jinshiro-san, are you alright?" Shinchirou-sama asked, and Jirou nodded quickly.

"Y-yes. I'm alright."

"Are you sure? You seem a little scared."

Great. What had been the point in trying to look normal if Shinchirou-sama was just going to notice it anyway. Well, now that he'd been found out, it was best to be honest.

"It's...the water. I...uh...have a fear of it." he said, which was true enough. "Baths are...difficult for me. But I'll be alright. Don't worry." He would be. He'd just have to man up, shake himself off, and get into the freaking water.

"Oh, uh, are you sure?" the human asked, looking worried already. Jirou figured he was probably imagining him being held under the water forcefully by the same parents who had beat him with a vacuum.

"Yes. I'll be okay."

"Hmm, okay." Shinchirou-sama said, and Jirou heard the doubt in his voice. "But if you need me, call me, alright?"

Jirou nodded, and shut the door behind his owner. He then turned and looked at the bath again, looming ominously behind him. It scared him too much, so he looked away, and decided first to focus on getting undressed. One step at a time. He took off his clothes slowly, folding them in the spot that Shinchirou-sama had told him to leave them. His folding wasn't very good, though it wasn't atrocious. He took the magical treat the girl had given him, which he was still carrying around, and placed it on the counter, hoping it wouldn't be knocked away.

When he was wearing only pants, he turned and looked back at the water, then away again, quickly shedding the last article of clothing.

Now there was only one thing left to do.

He took a deep breath, and moved a little closer. A few minutes later, he moved closer again. And again two minutes after that.

Alright. This was progress.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Jirou jumped.

"Jinshiro-san, is everything going alright?"

"Y-yeah. J-just fine." he said.

"The water's not too hot, is it? Or too cold?"

"Uh…" Jirou said, "Nope."

It was quiet for a moment, before Shinchirou-sama spoke again. "You aren't in the water yet, are you?"

"Uh…" Jirou said again. "No."

More silence, before Shinchirou-sama's voice came from the otherside of the door, asking gently. "Would it be easier if I took a bath with you?"

Jirou's heart leapt in his chest, and he gasped. No way. No way was this happening. Shinchirou-sama was offering to come in and take a bath with him. He didn't know what to say. Was this his chance, a moment he could use to make his owner like him, in ways he never would have as a cat?

"Um...m-m-maybe." said Jirou.

"Okay, you wait there while I go grab some clothes to change into. I'll warm the bath up again."

"O-okay." Jirou said, and then he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his body, suddenly very nervous. Was it normal for human males to bath together? Jirou had no clue, since it was only Shinchirou-sama and the cats themselves here.

When Shinchirou-sama came in, he noticed the towel around Jirou and smirked a little, before placing the items he'd brought with him onto the counter. He let some of the water out of the tub, before starting it up again.

Then, as if it were nothing, he began to undress.

Jirou gasped, and spun around, looking away. He'd seen Shinchirou-sama naked before, many, many times. But that had been as a cat.

Now, he was human.

He shut his eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to calm himself down again. He couldn't get too worked up. He just couldn't. He'd never live down the shame if...if...he couldn't even think it.

"Just a bath." he whispered to himself. "Just a bath."

Which actually did a pretty good job of turning his thoughts away from the naked man behind him, because suddenly he was back to being terrifed of the water in front of him.

"Ready?" Shinchirou-sama suddenly asked, and Jirou opened his eyes and found the human standing directly in front of him, stepping into the water.

Jirou, of course, couldn't avoid not seeing Shinchirou-sama's body, but managed to keep his thoughts under control. He looked at the water, then back at Shinchirou-sama, who smiled encouragingly and put out a hand for Jirou to take.

Not about to pass up such an opprotunity, Jirou took the offered hand, and, with a deep breath, let go of the towel he was still holding on to. Instantly he flushed red. He never thought this day would come. He was naked in front of Shinchirou-sama!

Shinchirou-sama, of course, said nothing and stayed cool as he slowly led Jirou into the water. The second it touched him, Jirou jumped, yelping, and almost fell backward onto the hard floor of the bathroom.

"Woah! It's okay! Stay calm." Shinchirou-sama said, and the man slowly sat down, bringing Jirou with him. Jirou was tense, his body shaking the whole time, as the water slowly began to wrap itself around his whole body. He shut his eyes, and didn't open them again until the water moved no further. He cracked them open, observing himself. He was sitting in the water. And it wasn't hurting him. In fact, it felt kind of nice.

He let out a huge sigh, then sank into the water a little more. It was actually very relaxing, and warm.

"Not so bad, right?" Shinchirou-sama asked with a smile, and Jirou shook his head.

"No." Jirou even shut his eyes, and dunked his head under the water, shaking himself when he came back up. Shinchirou-sama laughed.

"Good. Now let's get you cleaned off."

There was one downside to no longer being afraid of the water, and that was that it couldn't distract him from Shinchirou-sama. "Can you pass me the shampoo?"

Jirou turned toward the bottles that his owner was looking at. He knew what shampoo was, since he'd been in the bathroom with Shinchirou-sama when he took baths before. But he didn't know which one it was.

Probably sensing this, Shinchirou-sama pointed at one directly. "That one."

Jirou passed him the bottle, then tensed up as the human poured some of the soapy liquid in his hands. Then, he began to work it into Jirou's hair. Jirou stayed completely still, focusing solely on the feeling on his owner's hands in his hair. It felt great, like when Shinchirou-sama scratched behind his ears. It took all of Jirou's self control not to purr.

Once they'd washed out the shampoo, Shinchirou-sama conditioned his hair next. Once that was done, his master took the time to clean himself off while Jirou relaxed in the water. This had to be one of the happiest moments of his life.

And it was all thanks to that stupid dog.

*(*)

Jirou spent the rest of his day following Shinchirou-sama around, exactly as he had done as a cat. As he'd grown older, he'd managed to stop being so clingy, but now, as a new human, he felt like a kitten again, following desperately behind his master, wanting every moment of his attention.

They talked, and laughed, and Jirou had never been happier.

Until that night, right as they were about to go to bed. Because he found Shinchirou-sama standing in the doorway, looking into the night, with a few tears in his eyes.

"Shinchirou-sama!" Jirou gasped, rushing over. "Why are you crying?"

Shinchirou-sama looked over, and smiled, brushing away the tears. He didn't bother telling Jirou not to call him that, since it was probably becoming obvious that he wouldn't listen anyway.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I was just...I'm worried about Jirou. He's probably...probably…" his owner couldn't get the last word out, and Jirou deflated, feeling very guilty again.

"You really care about him alot, don't you?" he asked quietly, and Shinchirou-sama nodded.

"I've had him since he was just a baby. I miss him. I love him."

 _I love you too,_ Jirou wanted to say, barely managing to refrain himself. Seeing Shinchirou-sama crying for him, as a cat, and saying how much he missed him, how much he loved him...well...Jirou hadn't thought it was possible, but it made him love Shinchirou-sama more.

"I'm sorry." he said. To Shinchirou-sama it probably just looked like he was apologizing for his lost cat. But really he was apologizing for leaving Shinchirou-sama, even though he hadn't gone anywhere. He reached out a hand and touched his master gently, then slowly hugged him, his heart pounding so hard in his chest he was afraid Shinchirou-sama would feel it in his own.

"Thank you."

Shinchirou-sama hugged him back, then pulled away. The tears in his eyes were gone, and he was smiling again.

"Let's get some sleep."


	6. Chapter 6

_I'd apologize for the wait, but, counting myself, there are only three people reading this story. One's my sister, so I don't really need to apologize to her. Well, I'm sorry to you two, anyway. I hope you both enjoy the next chapter!_

 _Of course I already know that my sister does._

 ** _Chapter 6_**

A few days passed, the sun moving through the sky at a pace that Jirou found to be much too fast. He wanted these days with Shinchirou-sama to last forever, each and every one. He learned more things about the human world, and spent the time when Shinchirou-sama was at work watching TV or playing with Gorou and Nana. Before, when he and Gorou had wrestled, he had won just as much as he had lost. Gorou was an agile cat after all, and full of energy, granted to him by his youth. But now, Jirou won effortlessly, and the wrestling matches were mostly just for show. Gorou didn't seem to mind though, and Jirou was grateful for it. It was easier to not miss his cat form when his friends treated him the same.

It was on his seventh day (he was counting) with Shinchirou-sama, that there came a knock at the door. Shinchirou-sama was napping, having had a long and eventful day at work, and Jirou had just been peeking into the room to check on him when the knock came. If he'd still had his cat ears, they would have perked. As it was, he turned his head in the direction the sound had come from, immediately feeling a little tense. Visitors as a cat had never bothered him, so what was the difference now, he wondered?

He glanced at Shinchirou-sama, hoping his master would wake, aroused by the noise. But the human he adored so much was obviously beyond the point of exhaustion, because he didn't so much as squirm. He considered momentarily, waking his owner. But the look on Shinchirou-sama's face after he had returned from work came back to him. The long, sleepy, and somewhat sad features had worried Jirou, and he'd sighed in relief when it only turned out to be a hard day of work. It wouldn't be right for him to wake the man, which left it up to Jirou.

He moved towards the door silently, moving like a cat, and when he got to his destination, he nervously peered out the peephole. What he saw on the other side of the door made him gasp in surprise. It was Shinchirou-sama's mother, the one who usually didn't visit more than a few times a year. She'd just been there not that long ago, so why she already back? Jirou's gut twisted, his intestines squeezing in his stomach. Or so it felt. Was she here to talk about a girlfriend again? He couldn't allow that, not when he was getting closer and closer everyday to his dream.

"Who is it?" Gorou asked from down at his feet, his black tail moving back and forth curiously, cutting through the air. Nana was watching too, from a few feet back, cautious. Jirou had noticed that the little cat was a little more nervous after their encounter with the dog. Had their close encounter changed something in the young cat, made him afraid of things in a way he hadn't been before? Jirou hoped not, and the thought of it made his already twisty gut clench in guilt.

"It's Shinchirou-sama's mother."

Nana stepped forward, his ears perking up, his nervous energy suddenly gone. "The woman with the treats?"

"Yes." Jirou was not nearly so happy at her arrival. Gorou looked up at him, his black ears twitching. His golden eyes, which were usually filled only with energy, seemed to look at Jirou in a surprisingly observant way.

"Should we pretend we aren't here?" the black cat offered, and Jirou knew he'd picked up on his doubts. Outside, Jirou could hear the mother shifting around, moving from one foot to the other and back again. An exhale. Further in the distance, some barking. Jirou looked over his shoulder, eyeing Nana, who, as he'd feared, flinched at the barking.

Before he could listen anymore, or take any more time to think things over, another voice cut through theirs, coming from outside, muffled lightly. "Shinchirou? Is that you?"

It probably hadn't been a good idea to chat with Gorou and Nana so close to the door. Sure, human's hearing was nowhere near the quality of cat's, but he hadn't exactly been whispering.

Both parties paused, and Jirou took a few steps back, even though it was too late now.

"Jinshiro-kun?"

Jirou turned, exhaling. Shinchirou-sama was coming around the corner, and, after taking in the scene in front of him with his still sleepy eyes, asked, "Is there somebody at the door?"

He couldn't very well lie, so he nodded quietly. Shinchirou-sama moved to look through the peephole, and when he pulled away, was smiling. He opened the door easily. "Mother. What are you doing here?"

"I just was in the area and thought I might stop by." She was already taking off her shoes, and, after stepping into the house, looked up, and directly in Jirou's direction. She saw him instantly, even though he was doing his best to hide behind a large house plant. "Well, who is this?"

Shinchirou-sama smiled, turning toward Jirou. He waved him over, and Jirou hesitated only a second before moving closer. "Mother, this is Jinshiro-san, he's been staying here for about a week."

Her eyes widened in surprise, and then swept up and down Jirou, taking him in. "How old are you, Jinshiro-san?" she asked, not exactly kindly.

Jirou took a few seconds, trying to remember the age he'd given Shinchirou-sama. "Twenty-one."

"Twenty-one, really? You look much younger than that."

Even though it still obviously wasn't a compliment, Jirou treated it like one, bowing slightly. "Thank you."

"Jinshiro, this is my mother, Minami."

Jirou knew this, of course.

"Nice to meet you."

"How long are you planning on staying?" was her next question, and it was clear she was hoping for a very specific answer. Jirou stepped back now, almost stepping on Gorou, who was still directly under his feet.

"As long as he likes." Shinchirou-sama said, drawing Jirou's attention back to him. When their eyes met, his master smiled kindly, and Jirou felt like the weight the mother was placing on him had suddenly been lifted. He smiled back, then said, "I'll bring you guys some drinks." Shinchirou-sama had been teaching him some stuff, and he'd gotten pretty good at making tea. He left the humans alone, but while making the tea, couldn't help but hear the conversation.

"Shin-chan, are you sure about this? Taking in some random boy off the street? He's just using you for a place to stay."

Jirou hissed under his breath, and briefly imagined dropping something into the mother's cup of tea. Maybe some sauce, or salt. Human or cat, it didn't matter, she wanted Shinchirou-sama to stop spending time with him. Ultimately, he left the tea alone, mostly because there was no way they wouldn't know who had messed with it.

"Mother, it's alright. Jinshiro-san is a very kind person. Besides, he's really helped to cheer me up."

Jirou, who was just about to enter the room with the snacks and tea, paused.

"Cheer you up?" his mother repeated. "What are you upset about?"

"Well…" Shinchirou let out a light chuckle, one that was laced with sadness. "Jirou went missing. I haven't seen him in almost a week."

"Jirou?" It was clear the woman didn't know the name off the top of her head.

"My cat."

"Oh. Oh! The siamese, yes? I'd noticed he wasn't here. He's usually glued to you."

Another sad laugh. "Yes, he is. But know...well, I'm assuming the worst at this point."

"I'm sorry, Shin-chan." the mother said, and to her credit, she did at least sound a little sincere. She quickly changed the subject though, or more accurately, directed it back to it's original topic. "Wouldn't you rather be living with a nice woman, though? After all, you aren't getting any younger."

Jirou took this as his cue, stepping in. The conversation stopped, and he moved over to the humans. He placed the cool tray down between mother and son, then, in what he knew humans would find as quiet a rude way, took a seat right next to Shinchirou-sama, insuring that they'd have to get through him to continue this conversation.

The topic was dropped though, and Minami turned to him. "So, Jinshiro-san, where did you grow up?"

"Here." he answered automatically, and then quickly added, "In this town. I've been here my whole life."

"Oh, well, that's nice. And what about your parents?"

Next to him, Shinchirou-sama went still, then jumped in a second later. "A-actually, I think we should be going!"

"Going?" this came from both Jirou and Minami, and Shinchirou-sama smiled. "Yes, Jinshiro-san and I have dinner reservations at a restaurant. I don't want us to be late. We need to start getting ready."

"Reservations?" Once more, this came from both of them. Minami sounded more shocked, whereas Jirou was trying to work out the meaning of the word. He knew what a resturaunt was, and he quickly pieced it together. His heart jumped. If Shinchirou-sama wasn't just lying to get his mother to drop the subject, (which was clearly because he thought Jirou didn't want to talk about his parents) did this make it a date?

It took a while before Minami left, and Jirou relished in the look on her face. Clearly, she didn't like the idea of her son going to dinner with him.

Once she was finally gone, Jirou turned to Shinchirou-sama.

"Do we really have reser...reservations, Shinchirou-sama?" he asked. Shinchirou-sama, who had given up trying to stop the "sama," nodded.

"I wanted to take you out somewhere. Have you ever been to a restaurant before?"

Jirou shook his head, and quickly got ready, accepting the clothes Shinchirou-sama lent to him. His heart felt like it was going to stop. A date. A date with Shinchirou-sama. It had to go well. He couldn't flip out and do something stupid.

"Are you ready?" Shinchirou-sama asked, looking into the room. Jirou looked over himself once more, turning this way and that. His lips split into a smile, one that reached his ears.

"Yes."

When they stepped out the door, Jirou saw, across the street, Minami. She was watching them, but either Shinchirou-sama didn't see her, or he was ignoring her, because he didn't even look her way. Shinchirou-sama stepped up to his car, the one he hardly used. Jirou, from years of listening, knew this was because he liked to save the money he would have to use on gas and other car stuff for food and rent. It was the reason he walked to work, despite owning a car.

Shinchirou-sama noticed his hesitation right away, and at this point, it was easy for him to deduce the reasoning.

"Ever been a car?" he asked, one half of his mouth lifted into a smile.

Jirou nodded. "Yes. But...only a few times."

"Would you rather walk?"

"Is it close enough?"

Shinchirou-sama paused, making the answer clear, so Jirou shook his head, coming to a decision. "We'll drive. I can make it. It's not a big deal. Just slight nerves." He noticed that he was sounding more and more like a human each day, and this was because he was learning new words, and new things about the human world.

The drive was as Jirou predicted, neither good nor bad. He spent it quietly, nails pulling at the material of the seat as lightly as he could manage. How could humans stand moving this quickly? It was insane.

The crowd at the restaurant was also a little much to deal with, and Jirou found himself moving closely to Shinchirou-sama. He wanted to grab on to the human, but refrained himself. It wasn't normal for human males to hold each other in public. Jirou knew little about the human world, but he knew that. He'd learned it quickly, from watching the news whenever Shinchirou-sama was at work.

A human male, much larger than both Jirou and Shinchirou-sama brushed past them on his way out, while the two of them were waiting in line, coming just a little too close, and looking just enough like that man from the alley, and Jirou leaped back just a little too far back, bumping into the woman behind him.

"Hey!"

"S-sorry." he said, bowing quickly. Shinchirou-sama apologized too, and shame washed through Jirou. He was embarrassing not only himself, but Shinchirou-sama too. Or so he thought, but suddenly, he felt something on his waist, and he looked down, eyes widening. Shinchirou-sama's hand was there, pulling the cat closer, so that they were touching.

"Shinchirou-sama...are...is it…?" he wasn't sure what he was trying to ask, and he couldn't put it together. There couldn't be anything romantic about this, Jirou knew. Most likely, his kind owner was just trying to calm him down. But still…

Even still…

Shinchirou-sama was touching him.

"It's alright, Jinshiro-san. You don't have to be scared."

And suddenly, Jirou wasn't.

The meal was much more peaceful, and they spent it laughing and chatting. Shinchirou-sama took a minute to apologize about his mother's clearly disapproving nature. Jirou quickly brushed it off, accepting the apology, eager to get back to the laughter. He'd never been on a date, of course, but this is what they were like, weren't they?

His musing were cut short, because a familiar voice called out to him.

"Jirou-kun?"

Jirou froze, not because of who had called out to him. It was the girl, the witch, Nina, the one who had granted his wish. She was with a boy, one who was tall, with dark hair, and a cool face. Jirou would have been happy to see her again, if it hadn't been for what she had called him right in front of Shinchirou-sama.

"Jirou-kun, is that you?"

Jirou.

She was calling him Jirou.

* * *

 _Panic! Panic and then pass out and then panic some more, Jirou-kun!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The many lights that were shining from all around the room, bursting from every corner and crevice were no doubt meant to create a feeling of warmth, of home. (Even though Jirou couldn't imagine anyone would actually have quite this many lights) But in that second, to Jirou, they felt like spotlights, shining on him and turning everyone's attention to him.

"Jirou-kun?"

She was still saying his name. His real name.

"Jirou...kun?" Hesitant this time. Maybe she thought he was the wrong guy. Or maybe, due to the way he had frozen up, she realized something was wrong. He was messing up again. He had to act natural. Stand up, smile, act like nothing was wrong. That's what humans who weren't hiding things did.

But he was a cat. A cat who was hiding something very big, and very important. And even though just moments before he had been blissfully happy, now, the very big and important secret was at stake. And every cell in his body, in response to this sudden predicament, this overwhelming stress, was screaming at him to flee. To hide. Instinct was hard to fight.

"Jin...shiro-kun?" That was Shinchirou-sama. Jirou finally turned, facing his owner, his eyes wide and his breath held. The human's eyes flashed with confusion, his mind clearly working to put this new information together. "I think that girl...is calling you?" The end of the sentence was a question, a desire to have things explained. To tell him why this girl was calling him by the name of his missing cat.

"Yes. Nina. Nina." The last "Nina" was directed to the girl herself. She had stopped smiling, and Jirou saw the truth settle into her, her fears confirmed when Shinchirou-sama called him by a different name. But suddenly, her smile was back, as if it had never been away.

"Hiroki, this is my friend, Jinshiro-kun." she said this to the boy standing next to her. He'd been taking in the situation, but remained totally silent throughout all exchanges. "My nickname for him is Jiro though. It's the first and last character in his name. Get it?"

Hiroki didn't look as confused at being given the full story behind a nickname as Jirou would imagine one to be, and he wondered if the human boy already knew the truth. If he was her boyfriend, and Jirou suspected heavily that he was, he probably knew she was a witch. Or maybe he was a witch too.

"Hey. Nice to meet you."

"H-hello. Nice to meet you too." Jirou said, his heart calming just a little bit. He shook hands with the other boy, and glanced over his shoulder to see if Shinchirou-sama was buying this. The human looked less confused now, and more like he was just politely waiting, so Jirou exhaled quietly, and turned back to him.

"Shinchirou-sama, this is my friend, Nina. She's uh...she was…"

He couldn't think of a believable lie fast enough. They were too far apart in age to have been classmates, she was too young to be a co worker. Not to mention that him holding down a job would contradict the locked in a house and never released story that Shinchirou-sama had chosen to believe.

"Nina is an old neighbor." the witch said.

Okay, neighbor. Abused kids could meet neighbors. It's not like he was locked in his fake home twenty-four seven.

"It's lovely to meet you." Shinchirou-sama said, standing up so that they could shake hands. "I'm happy to see that Jinshiro-kun has a friend."

"Thank you." the girl smiled, then turned her attention back to him "How have things been since we saw each other last, Jinshiro-kun?"

He smiled, and somehow, it was actually real. He wanted to tell her all about the things that had happened to him, the bath, the dog, the bed, and about all the things he had learned of the human world. The words were clamoring, fighting to climb over one another to get out. It was next to impossible to hold them in.

Instead, he just said, "Fine."

"That's good." she reached into her pocket, and pulled out a crumpled and dirty scrap of paper that had probably been there for a while. Then she looked around, and Jirou, even though he didn't know what she was looking for, joined her, glancing around the fancy room.

"Hiroki, do you have a pen?"

Hiroki quirked an eyebrow, as if thinking this over. His hands searched his pockets, digging through them, and came back out carrying a few things. Some money, a cellphone, and a pencil. He handed this last item to his girlfriend.

"Thank you!"

She wrote on the paper, and then turned her attention back to Jirou. "This is Nina's number. Call me when you have free time, okay?"

He took the paper, taking in the writing. He knew they were numbers, and that numbers were not the same things as letters, but he still couldn't read the human communication in the slightest. He'd have to learn some. Then he'd have to learn how to use the phone. He'd seen Shinchirou-sama on it, but so far, he'd had no reason to learn himself.

He promised to call, and the witch and her boyfriend said farewell, walking away with their hands connected. Jirou watched them. Nina was laughing loudly, and Hiroki was smiling back, an affectionate smile gazing back at her. Their hands swung between them.

It was everything Jirou wanted.

"She was a very nice girl." Shinchirou-sama said, and Jirou turned back to him.

"Yeah."

"Can you read the numbers?"

Jirou shook his head sheepishly, then put the paper in his pocket.

"I could teach you."

Jirou looked up from behind his hair, which had somehow become very disheveled in the last few hectic moments. When they got home, he'd have to use one of those brushes humans used to groom themselves.

"To read?"

Shinchirou-sama nodded. "It's no trouble. And I would hate for you to have such a disadvantage in the world."

Learning to read. It was such a human thing. With every passing day, he was leaving his old self behind, and becoming someone able to be with his master. "O-okay." he said, smiling, while a tint of blush shaded his suddenly warm cheeks. "Only when you're not busy though, alright?"

"Deal."

The rest of their meal was passed in a happy silence that was only interrupted every now and then for a few minutes of idle chitchat. Jirou was so happy that if he had a tail, it would be wagging, even if he was a cat, and not a dog. Instead of going straight home, Shinchirou-sama took some time to drive him around town, purchasing him a few items, such as clothes and snacks and puzzles and toys that Shinchirou-sama said he could use to pass some time while he was at work.

The shop for toys was more embarrassing then the shop for clothes, oddly. Shinchirou-sama's cell phone rang, and after informing Jirou that it was someone from work, the human answered, leaving the cat to his own devices.

He stayed close for a few minutes, waiting patiently, but then the conversation began to drag on, and even though the siamese prided himself on his maturity and control, it was impossible to stay still in such an interesting and new place. He wandered away from the aisle, keen to take in a human shopping center. He took in the humans, their babies, the way the interacted. He looked closely at almost every item on the shelves, hoping to gain new knowledge, and marveling in the ones he managed to work out. He listened, and smelled, and even though human food had never down much for him before, suddenly, it made his stomach rumble loudly, despite the fact that they'd only just ate a couple hours prior.

His attention was drawn to one aisle in specific, one that was filled with things he finally recognized. There were toys for animals, for cats and dogs, and cans of food that had once been his dinner. A part of him longed for it, because he hadn't been eating it. Humans didn't eat that stuff, and no way was he going to let Shinchirou-sama catch him eating it.

He went over to the toys. There was one, a little pink mouse, that made Jirou smile. Shinchirou-sama had purchased one very much like it when he was just a kitten, when he was still the only cat in the household. It had been a gift for Jirou, and the siamese had accepted it gratefully, happy that his owner had graced him with a present. He'd carried it almost everywhere, to show Shinchirou-sama just how much he loved it. It even slept in the bed with them, taking up the empty spot that would have been filled by another human, had Shinchirou-sama had someone to share the bed with.

It had stayed with them, all the way up until only a few weeks before Gorou appeared. One night, when the sun was gone and it was time for sleep, Jirou went to where he had last remembered placing the mouse. It hadn't been there, and at first, Jirou hadn't minded, thinking he must have just left in somewhere else. But no amount of searching turned it up. Shinchirou-sama tried to coax him into bed, confused when his faithful cat seemingly blew him off. Eventually, he gave up, and the siamese searched for hours. It was the only night in his memory that he didn't spend with Shinchirou-sama. By the time morning came around, Jirou was exhausted, and upset, the cold wood floor sending chills up his numb legs.

"Jirou, did you stay up all night?" Shinchirou-sama had asked, sounding surprised.

Jirou had opened his mouth to answer, (even though he knew already it was pointless) but couldn't get the words out right away.

"Are you looking for something?" asked Shinchirou-sama, observing Jirou closely as he checked again and again in places he'd already been over. "Is it your mouse?"

It was then that Jirou finally managed to speak.

"I'm sorry, Shinchirou-sama." he whispered. "I lost it."

Once he'd realized what Jirou was looking for, his owner had, (not surprisingly) joined in the search.

But the mouse was simply gone. To this day, Jirou had no idea what had happened to it. He'd been depressed at first, and Shinchirou-sama would pet him and whispered to him as they fell asleep, "It's alright Jirou. The mouse knew you loved it, I'm sure of it."

And Jirou had loved that mouse. It had been a special gift from the one he loved. It had represented their bond, (at least in Jirou's eyes) and now it was just gone. Slowly, each day, he got better, and a few weeks later, Gorou appeared, (and Jirou had suspected that Shinchirou-sama had kept him so that Jirou would have a friend again) and after that he hadn't had the time to dwell on the mouse.

"Jinshiro-san?"

The sudden spell Jirou had placed himself in broke, and he looked up. Shinchirou-sama was standing at the end of the aisle, looking a little confused. "Are you alright? You seemed a little out of it."

"Oh, I am okay, thank you. I was just remembering something."

"Something about a mouse?"

At first, Jirou was shocked, and thought that Shinchirou-sama had somehow managed to figure out his secret. But then he realized he was holding the little pink mouse in his hand, and had been gazing at it quite fondly.

"Uh, yes."

Shinchirou-sama walked over to stand beside him, and smiled too. "Jirou used to have a mouse like that. He really loved it."

"Yes." Then, realizing he shouldn't have answered that way, the cat quickly cut himself off, changing the subject, "Speaking of which, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the uh, nickname Nina has for me. I thought it might make you sad, since it would you know, uh, make you think of your cat." The words were fast and jumbled together, and when he finished getting them out, Shinchirou-sama laughed.

"It's alright, Jinshiro-san. Actually…" he trailed off for a moment, and for the first time since they'd met, (with Jirou as a human) it looked like it was Shinchirou-sama who was blushing. "Do you think I can call you that too?"

A beat of silence followed.

Then.

"Eh?"

"Jirou-kun. Can I call you that?"

If Shinchirou-sama was blushing, it was almost impossible to notice, but there was nothing subtle about the way Jirou's face flared up. It was ridiculous. How could he be embarrassed to be called by the name he'd always had?

"Y-yes. Of course."

Shinchirou-sama smiled, and took the small pink mouse from Jirou's hands, which were suddenly feeling both colder and warmer. "Do you like this mouse?"

It took a moment for Jirou to focus, still going over what had just happened. "Oh, um. Yes."

"I'll get it for you."

Jirou managed a nod, and knew that his blush must have only been getting worse. "Yes. Thank you."

"Alright. Let's go, Jirou-kun."

Hearing it, again, finally, after what felt like so long...Jirou suddenly realized it wasn't embarrassment he was feeling.

It was happiness.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

A few nights later, Jirou woke up in the middle of the night, instantly alert. He'd heard something, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Listening hard, he tried to hear it again, to determine whether he should pursue the matter or not. It was silent, except for the sounds outside. The leaves rustling restlessly in the wind, two dogs barking back and forth to each other, the occasional car going by.

Shinchirou-sama didn't stir, so Jirou knew that whatever he had heard had to have been very quiet, something humans couldn't hear easily. Perhaps he had just heard something going by? Just as he'd started settling back into the bed, the sound came again. It was the creaking of floorboards, coming from the other side of the house.

Was it maybe Gorou or Nana? They woke multiple times every night and ran around. Jirou would hear them, but he'd never gone to join, because sleeping at night with Shinchirou-sama had been (and still was) very important. It was one of the reasons he'd been happy when Nana came around. He was often so busy and preoccupied with his master that he was afraid that Gorou might be lonely.

The creaking came again, and Jirou's body went stiff. That wasn't Gorou or Nana. That was a human. And the only human that ever came to visit was Shinchirou-sama's mother, and she would never drop by in the middle of the night, without even knocking.

He slowly sat up, and a second later, there was a voice that he knew from the other side of the closed door.

"Jirou! There's people in here!" Gorou shouted, sounding freaked.

"W-what do we do?" came Nana's voice after that, shaking very hard. Jirou could imagine the younger cat hiding behind Gorou, and he instantly got up, and crept to the door, careful not to make any sound that the intruders might here. For some reason, he lowered himself when he got to the door, so that he was crouching. His heart was pounding and his fingers trembled as he reached for the doorknob, and turned it, praying it wouldn't make any sound as it opened.

He opened it just enough for his friends to sneak in. If it had been closed even a centimeter more, they would not have been able to make it through. Instantly, the two cats jumped into Jirou's lap. He shut the door, letting out an unstable breath.

"How many are out there?" he whispered.

"T-two." Nana replied.

"They came in through the window." Gorou added. "I was laying right there when it opened!"

"Shouldn't w-we wake up the master?" asked Nana, and Jirou knew he was right.

"Shinchirou-sama." he said, just loud enough that he could be heard, his voice a hoarse whisper.

"Wake up." The human stirred, but his eyes didn't open, as if he'd heard Jirou's voice in his dreams. "Th-there's someone in the house."

This time, Shinchirou-sama's eyes opened, and he looked around the room, trying to find Jirou. When he spotted him, crouched in the corner, two cats in his arms, eyes wide, the human jumped up.

"Jirou-kun? There are people in the house?"

Jirou nodded, frightened by the look on Shinchirou-sama's face. Humans were supposed to be calm and know what to do in the event of an emergency. If his master didn't know what to do, things were really bad.

"What do they want?"

"Burglars. They're here to steal our things."

Our things. It was hard to enjoy the fact that he had said "our" when their lives were probably in danger.

"What should we do?" the cat asked, and he sighed in relief when Shinchirou-sama's eyes cleared up, and he stood up straighter, like he wasn't afraid anymore. This was much closer to the way that Jirou always pictured him. Strong and dependable.

"We need to call the police."

Jirou had paid enough attention throughout his life to know that the police were basically who the humans called whenever they were stuck in a dangerous situation that they couldn't handle on their own. If they showed up, everything would be okay. Jirou knew that.

But he also knew that you had to call them on the phone.

And Shinchirou-sama's cell phone was not in the room with them. There was no question about this, because Jirou had been playing on it right before they went to bed. When Shinchirou-sama had called him to bed, he'd put it down right where he'd been sitting, on the couch. Guilt twisted in his stomach, sharp as a knife as he watched Shinchirou-sama looking around, trying to spot his cellphone.

"I-" he croaked out, unable to get the whole sentence out. The sound did draw Shinchirou-sama's attention, and he looked over at Jirou, realization dawning on him quickly.

"Did you leave it out there?"

He hadn't asked it like it was an accusation, but shame rushed through Jirou anyway, mixing with the guilt and creating a sickening mixture. He nodded, and in his lap, Gorou and Nana looked up at him, their tails twitching tensely, their ears flattening against their heads as they comprehended the fear in the air.

At the same time, they both looked at the one window in Shinchirou-sama's room. If they could have fit through it, one of them could go get help. But it was a small window, more for decoration than to actually let the light in. His master liked it dark while he was sleeping, and Jirou did too. Their only choice was to either go for the phone, or try and sneak out the front door. Either way, they'd have to get past the men.

Movement outside the door stopped all thought on Jirou's part, and he leaped back automatically, trying to get away from it. Gorou and Nana both darted into the closet, and Jirou could hear Nana crying softly, followed by Gorou's voice trying to both comfort him and silence him. Shinchirou-sama opened his arms, and Jirou ran into them. Under less frightening circumstances, he would have enjoyed the contact more.

Both were silent, as a voice outside spoke. "I just heard something."

"What?" another voice asked, not far from the first voice.

"I think there's someone in this room."

"Check it out."

There was a blur of movement so fast that Jirou almost couldn't track it. Shinchirou-sama darted forward at the same second the door started opening, slamming himself against it, shutting it with a loud slam that rattled the room.

"Hey!" the intruder shouted, sounding like he was the one who should have been offended. A second later, the door opened, just a few inches, and Jirou caught sight of the man outside for a split second before Shinchirou-sama managed to get it closed again, fighting back as hard as he could. The two men fought back and forth, and the next time the door opened, Jirou saw that the second man was coming to help. There was no way Shinchirou-sama would be able to keep them both at bay.

Already, the human was straining, his breathing hard, but all his focus on the door. He wasn't going to give them up. And even though his heart was pounding in fear, Jirou knew he couldn't just stand there and watch. He ran over, but the second he got there, the door burst open, throwing Shinchirou-sama back. The human flew back, then lost his balance, falling backward. His head hit the ground hard, and Jirou's breathing stopped as the man he loved went still.

He watched, waiting, until he saw Shinchirou-sama's chest rise and fall. Then he turned, looking at the two men who had just forced their way into the room. They were looking at Jirou too, but one of them started making their way over to Shinchirou-sama, who had no way to fight back in his condition.

"Get away from him!" Jirou screamed, and he instinctively moved, throwing himself in front of his master, blocking him from the intruders. He crouched low, and hissed threateningly, curling and uncurling his fingers in a way that mimicked preparing his claws.

His actions confused the men enough to make them stop, but then laughed. Both of them were tall, skinny, and even their faces looked similar, giving Jirou the impression that they were probably brothers.

"What the hell?" said one of them, the one that had been heading toward Shinchirou-sama. "This kid thinks he's a freaking cat!"

The other one laughed harder, and Jirou's hair went up at the sound. But he knew he couldn't back down. It was his fault they were in this situation. If he hadn't forgotten the phone, or if he hadn't made so much noise when he heard the men, they could have just called the police, or stayed hidden until they were gone.

"Don't touch him." he snarled, and his voice managed to scare himself. He'd never heard it sound that way, so guttural and menacing. The men paused at the sound of it, but only for a moment. Then, at the same time, they began to move forward, towards Jirou in an equally threatening manner.

"Well, let's teach the kitty a lesson." said the other one, coming up on Jirou's left. The other one came from the right, and Jirou looked between them. He couldn't take them both, especially not at the same time. He'd never fought a human before. His blood pounded and he showed his teeth, a very catlike sound erupting from his throat.

The man coming up on his left was closer, but the man coming up on the right was getting too close to Shinchirou-sama. Jirou attacked suddenly, throwing himself at the man and going for his face, scratching as best as he could with his pathetic human nails. The sounds that came out of his mouth were inhuman, sounds only an animal could make.

The man under him fought to get him off, but Jirou had surprised him with his attack, and Jirou had the upperhand. At Least he did, until he felt the second man reach down and pull him off. The siamese quickly turned his rage on this man, but this man had the upperhand now, and Jirou quickly found himself on the floor, being held down. He screeched and yowled, flailing and trying to get back up. He was able to gain an inch, and with it, he freed himself, just in time to face the first man again. Before he could make a move, the man pulled a knife out of his pocket and pointed it at Jirou.

"You better calm down, kitty cat, or I'm going to have to cut you."

Jirou froze, but only for a second. It was stupid, and he knew he wasn't thinking straight, but he couldn't stop himself. He was on the man a moment later, kicking and scratching. The man moved his hand, and Jirou felt pain in his arm, but he didn't stop. A few seconds later, he heard more yowling and then shouts of surprise from the man that he wasn't fighting. He recognized the voices instantly. Gorou and Nana had come to help, and were fighting together against the second guy.

"Get out!" Jirou screamed.

A punch landed squarely in his face, knocking Jirou back. Before he could shake himself off, he was hit again, and he knew right away that his five minutes of victory were up. A second later, he was on the ground, and multiple punches landed on Jirou's body. He shut his eyes, wanting to curl up. In the distance, he heard wailing, sounds that made the man stop.

"The cops!"

Suddenly, his attacker was gone, and their thundering steps echoed through the house as they ran for the door. Even though he knew he should have tried to stop them, Jirou let them go, turning to look at Shinchirou-sama. He crawled, suddenly feeling a pain his leg that he hadn't felt before. Had he been hurt in the fight?

"Shinchirou-sama?" he whispered. His master's chest was still rising and falling, but just to convince himself, Jirou lay his head down on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "Wake up. Please. Don't leave me. I love you so much."

When their was no reply, he turned, looking at Gorou and Nana. The two cats were standing in one spot, panting and bruised. Nana started to cry, and Gorou wrapped his arms around the smaller cat, and started licking at his wounds.

"Hello?" called a voice, neither of the intruder's. Multiple sets of footsteps made their way in Jirou's direction, and by the time the strangers entered, Jirou had his whole body blocking Shinchirou-sama from their view, and he hissed when they entered, his eyes flashing with warning.

"It's alright young man. We're the police." said the man who had just entered, and even though Jirou heard the words, it took him a moment to process them. He moved slowly, getting off his owner, and letting the police come over to him.

*(*)

A few minutes later, Shinchirou-sama was awake, and the paramedics were there, checking both he and Jirou for injuries. Shinchirou-sama was alright, other than a small concussion. Jirou, on the other hand, was hurt much worse than he'd thought he was. There wasn't just one cut on him, but four, two on his arm, one of the other, and one right across his chest, blood dripping from it. When Shinchirou-sama saw him getting looked over by the paramedics, he gasped and ran over, his eyes wide.

"Jirou-kun! What happened!?"

"I...I...fought them."

"You fought them!? By yourself!?" Shinchirou-sama gasped. Jirou shook his head slowly.

"Gorou and Nana helped me."

"Gorou...and Nana!?"

"Yes. They fought one while I fought the other."

Shinchirou-sama stared at him, his eyes wide and disbelieving, but he slowly smiled. "Wow. You are pretty amazing, Jirou-kun. You and the cats."

They offered to take Jirou to the hospital, to clean his wounds, but he declined. He didn't know much about humans, but he was willing to bet that hospitals cost money.

"I'll look after him." Shinchirou-sama said, and Jirou blushed a little. Once the police had taken their statements, and taken the descriptions of the burglars, (who had gotten away) the two of them went inside. They went silently to the bedroom without talking about it, and when they got there, Shinchirou-sama motioned to the bed and said, "Sit down, I'm going to go get something to clean your wounds."

Jirou sat, tired and frayed. His nerves were everywhere, and he couldn't calm down. When Shinchirou-sama came back, the human gently set to work cleaning and bandaging the wounds. Jirou worked on his breathing, but suddenly, he felt tears in his eyes. He lifted his hands, trying not to catch Shinchirou-sama's attention as he wiped them away. But he wasn't subtle enough, and Shinchirou-sama looked up.

"Are you alright?" he whispered, and Jirou nodded, sniffling.

"Were you scared?" his owner asked softly, and Jirou paused.

"I...I was scared. But you...you were...you needed help...I"m sorry. This is all my fault. I left...the phone…"

"It's alright Jirou-kun. It wasn't your fault. And you were so brave. Thank you."

Jirou looked up. "Thank you?"

"For protecting me."

Then the human leaned forward, and wrapped his arms around Jirou's shoulders. The cat, who was still shaking from the adrenaline, slowly started to calm, and he leaned his head on Shinchirou-sama's shoulder, breathing in his smell. He remembered what he had said in the room, when Shinchirou-sama was unconscious, and wished he had the courage to say it again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Man I trying to get some typing in this document done, but it's hard when you wanna chat with your family through video call. They happen to be like, 1200 miles away too, so it's lonely. Though I don't hate being alone. I just like being alone in a house full of people.**

 **Chapter 9**

Jirou wouldn't have thought there would be a bright side to being attacked and injured, but he was pleasantly wrong. Shinchirou-sama called in from work for the next few days, and spent them helping Jirou instead. Every hour or so, the human would instruct Jirou to take off his bandages, and Shinchirou-sama would clean them, his touch gentle and soothing. Jirou would close his eyes and drift off, listening vaguely as Shinchirou-sama spoke to him softly, the same way he had when he was still a cat, and his master was scratching between his ears.

After cleaning the wounds, Shinchirou-sama would put on fresh bandages, even though Jirou insisted it was a waste, and that he'd be alright with just changing them once a day.

"They're not a waste, Jirou-kun." Shinchirou-sama would say softly, his hand coming to a rest on his arm. "You protected me. You probably saved my life." He smiled, and Jirou gazed at him, transfixed, thinking how much he wanted to tell Shinchirou-sama that he had saved his life first, and that he'd hoped for so long to one day repay the favor. "And even if you hadn't, they still wouldn't be a waste. You are not a waste, of anything, Jirou-kun."

It was on the third day that there was a knock on the door. Shinchirou-sama was in his room, napping, and Jirou had been with him just a few minutes earlier, curled up as close as he was brave enough to get, hoping that he wasn't so happy that he was purring in his sleep. He'd had to go to the bathroom, and now he was regretting it. If he had just stayed asleep, he could have ignored it.

Lazily, he made his way across the house, yawning and stretching his arm high over his head. He peeked through the peephole, hoping it was somebody he could blow off, and return to Shinchirou-sama, who really deserved this rest.

But his hope was shot down, because on the other side, eyes stony, her arms crossed over her chest, aging face filled with worry lines, was Minami, his master's mother. He sighed. What did she want now? To tell her son once more that he shouldn't be caring for such a useless burden? Even though he knew it wasn't the right thing to do, Jirou really didn't feel like dealing with her just then, and he found himself turning away, heading back to the room he'd been asleep in just minutes before. Even though guilt swam in his stomach, he got back on the bed, curling under the warm blankets, content to pretend he hadn't seen or heard anything. She would ruin the peaceful life was finally experiencing with his most loved one.

Shinchirou-sama shifted in his sleep, so that he was facing Jirou. The cat looked upon his face, taking in every line, every blemish, every angle. The man really was too perfect. Jirou moved closer into the human's warmth, and shut his eyes.

It was only a matter of a few seconds before the bedroom door suddenly opened.

"Shin-chan?" Minami's voice cut through the air, and Jirou opened his eyes, glad that she hadn't walked in while he'd been staring unabashedly. They made eye contact for a few seconds, the air immediately growing awkward before Shinchirou-sama sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Mother? What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if the rumors about you being involved in a break in were true."

Shinchirou-sama let out a small laugh as he grabbed his glasses, fitting them back on his face. "Rumors? Who could possibly be talking about me?"

"I have my sources." Minami said simply, before looking at Jirou-kun. It was obvious she was not happy about the position she'd caught them in. Jirou refrained from rolling his eyes. It wasn't like they'd been kissing or anything. Just napping in the same bed. They'd done that before Jirou was a human and he wasn't going to stop now.

"Well, don't worry, everything turned out alright. Jirou-chan protected me."

Minami paused for a few seconds before asking, "Jirou? The cat? It came back, did it?"

 _It?_ Jirou thought. The least she could do was refer to him as "He."

At her words, Shinchirou-sama looked understandably sheepish, and he laughed a little awkwardly before shaking his head. "Uh, no. That's Jinshiro-kun's nickname."

For a moment it looked like she didn't even remember who that was, but then she seemed to guess that it was probably the boy who had been laying in bed with her son when she walked in, turning her attention on Jirou.

"Oh? Jirou-kun?" Her puzzlement this time came off as more worried, and Jirou wondered what she was thinking. "You fought off the burglars?"

Jirou and Shinchirou-sama had both risen out of the bed at this point. Shinchirou-sama was standing in front on his mother, and Jirou stood behind him, silent as they started walking down the hall. He considered dropping back and waiting in the room, not really wanting to hang around Minami. But he also didn't want to leave them alone, because he knew she would talk about how Shinchirou-sama should get a girlfriend and stop hanging around him.

They sat in the kitchen, at the table, talking, and she seemed almost kind when it was just the two of them, as Jirou was waiting in the living room, listening and waiting for when she would bring him up. It was such a difference, and Jirou wondered what it was about him that made her dislike him. Was it because he was a boy? If he was a girl, would she be happy her son was living with someone?

He had a feeling she would be.

After about ten minutes, Shinchirou-sama called him into the room, so he went, albeit awkwardly. His kind master motioned for him to sit next to him, so he did, holding back a very cat like purr when Shinchirou-sama put a hand on his head and ruffled his hair. Minami noticed the exchange, and her nose crinkled with disdain in a way she wasn't bothering to hide.

Jirou didn't participate in the conversation, but he did feel more at ease out here, where he could monitor it. Minami ignored him likewise, until Shinchirou-sama went to the bathroom, leaving them alone for a few minutes. Instantly, her demeanor changed, and she jerked in his direction, the motion looking physically painful to maneuver.

"How long are you planning on staying?"

 _I'm not planning on leaving,_ is what he thought, but outwardly, he just stayed still, not moving at all.

"Letting you stay here, treating you like a...a..." she couldn't think of the right word, and Jirou couldn't blame her. What did you call someone who was living in your son's house for free, clearly incompetent, but obviously not a lover of some kind? "Even calling you by that cat's name! This is ridiculous. Such a bother." The siamese wasn't sure if she meant a bother to her or Shinchirou-sama, but he spoke up regardless.

"Shinchirou-sama doesn't mind me being here."

"Sama?"

"Shinchirou-sama."

"Did he ask you to call him that?" she sounded doubtful.

Jirou shook his head.

"Then why-" she was stopped by a meow at her feet, and she looked down. Gorou and Nana were both standing by her shoes, looking up at her, meowing expectantly.

"What do they want?" She spoke mostly to herself, but Jirou answered for them.

"They want the treats in your pocket."

She looked up at him, surprised, and it took him a few seconds to figure out what he had done. She'd never shared with him that she had treats, had never given them to the cats in front of him. (As far as she knew) But here he was, talking as if he knew they were there.

"How did you know about those?"

"I...uh...guessed."

"Guessed..." she filtered out for only a few seconds before she came back strong. "Jinshiro-san, I am thankful to you for fighting off the burglars who broke into Shin's home." She did sound thankful, to her credit, but Jirou was suddenly going somewhere. "How did you fight them off, again?"

"I just...did. Gorou and Nana helped."

"Gorou and Nana. The cats?"

He nodded.

"Yes."

She didn't ask anymore, thinking quietly to herself, until Shinchirou-sama came back a couple minutes later.

"Well, mother, if you don't mind, Jirou-kun and I have plans we have to get to."

"Really, and what might those be?"

"Reading."

"R-reading?" this seemed to the most surprising thing they had said so far.

"Yes. Reading lessons. Ready, Jirou-kun?" he looked at Jirou and smiled.

Jirou nodded, ready to become even more human than ever.

"Yes."

* * *

 _Sorry for the short chapter, I have the other stuff saved for other chapters._

 _I'm apologizing to only two people._

 _But still._


	10. Chapter 10

_Been a while, hasn't it? (She said to the two people reading this story)_

 _Yeah, went and got my old exhausting job where they overwork me back, so I've been busy._

 _And also overwhelmingly depressed._

 _But that's really not your concern. (Two people reading this)_

 _After this, I'll probably update CAF finally._

 _So yeah._

 _The two people reading this aren't reading that story, (I don't think) but I thought I'd say it anyway. Saying it helps me to make it true._

 _I'm going to try and make my next few update chapters pretty long, to make up for the long waits I forced everyone to suffer._

 ** _Chapter 10_**

Jirou wasn't completely sure how listening intently while Shinchirou-sama read to him was going to teach him to read, but he wasn't arguing. That's how the first ten or so minutes went, but Jirou wasn't really complaining. Just the sound of his master's voice was enough for him. The book was definitely one for children, and Jirou wondered where Shinchirou-sama had got it. He'd only ever seen his master read big, heavy books. Maybe they had been in storage somewhere.

The second option made Jirou's heart flutter.

Maybe Shinchirou-sama had gone out and bought the book for him.

A few minutes later, they reached the end, and Shinchirou-sama stopped reading, then went back to the beginning, and started really teaching, explaining the characters to Jirou. The Siamese cat did his best to follow along, and when it was his turn to try and read whatever he could, Shinchirou-sama smiled proudly and pat him on the head gently.

"You're doing really well, Jirou-kun! You're picking this up so fast!"

His praise turned Jirou's face red, and he spent the rest of the night, long after Shinchirou-sama was asleep, laying in the darkness of the room, glad his eyes could still see in the dark, looking through books and trying to put new words together. Gorou and Nana hopped onto the bed for the first time, trying their best to help, whispering the words they learned. If he could make his owner proud, then that was all he wanted. He was happy. Sure, of course he wanted more, he'd wanted more all of his life. But if one day he had to settle for just making Shinchirou-sama proud, or happy, he would have been okay with that.

Shinchirou-sama finally had no choice but to return to work, and Jirou didn't complain. He knew jobs were important to humans, and his master had already spent too many days helping him recover from his wounds. Already, the cuts hurt much less, and Jirou made this clear to his master, because the human's guilt at having to leave the injured cat home alone was obvious.

"It barely hurts at all, Shinchirou-sama." he said the morning Shinchirou-sama was returning to work.

The black haired male sighed, probably not believing him, but with little other choice than to let it go.

"The bandages are in the bathroom. Do you think you can change them on your own now?"

"Yes, I think so."

"And you know which disinfectant to put on the wounds, right?"

"The one in the blue stripped bottle, right?"

"That's right."

Nana and Gorou came up behind them, their tails intertwined together. Shinchirou-sama noticed them and smiled, turning Jirou around so he could spot them.

"Look. Nana and Gorou are in love."

Jirou smiled, wishing he could tell his master that he was right, that the cats really were in love. Gorou and Nana, realizing they'd been spotted, looked up. Nana got embarrassed, and started to pull his tail away, but Gorou didn't let him, wrapping their tails back together tightly. Even though he had his wish, Jirou still felt a little jealousy at the fact that they could be with each other, without so much as a worry.

"Yes, though I think Gorou might be a little old for Nana." teased Jirou, not letting his small jealousy get in the way of his real happiness.

The black cat flicked his ears and stuck out his tongue, then turned them around and walked away. Once they were gone, Jirou turned back to Shinchirou-sama, who was still smiling.

"Well, be careful while I'm gone. If my mother comes, just ignore her."

"Are you sure?" Jirou didn't particularly mind ignoring the cold woman, but it was unlike Shinchirou-sama, who was always very polite to his mother.

"Yes, it's alright. She can wait until I am home. I don't want you to have to deal with her by yourself. She's not being very kind to you, after all."

Jirou was touched by the gesture, but also increasingly embarrassed, for some reason. If only he was a girl, then Shinchirou-sama wouldn't have to be ignoring his own mother. They could all just sit together, and laugh, and there would be no awkwardness, no reason for Shinchirou-sama to come up with reasons for them to leave.

Jirou followed Shinchirou-sama down the driveway, and the human didn't seem to mind, smiling gently. When they got to the end, Shinchirou-sama grabbed Jirou's hand, and squeezed it.

"Will you be alright?"

Jirou was so focused on his hand touching Shinchirou-sama's, that for a moment, he didn't answer, staring at their hands as the memory burned itself into his mind.

"Jirou-kun?"

"W-what? Oh, yes, I'll be alright."

"Okay. Call me if anything happens."

"Okay."

They parted ways then, Shinchirou-sama towards his work, and Jirou back into the house, smiling as he touched his hand softly to his chest.

*(*)

Around noon, Jirou found himself sleeping, curled up on the couch. He'd been reading, or at least trying to, but his eyes had gotten heavy, and eventually, he dozed off. Gorou and Nana joined him, curling up against his stomach. He could feel their breathing, and it soothed him. He'd thought it before, but again, he was relieved at how easy his friends made it for him to not miss being a cat.

There was a knock at the door, and Jirou sat up sluggishly, rubbing the heavy sleep from his eyes. His vision was still blurry as he gazed down at the two cats still snuggled against his chest. Gorou and Nana didn't so much as twitch, except to move closer to each other when Jirou's warmth left them. Figuring it was probably Shinchirou-sama's mother, Minami, his plan was only to confirm this, and then ignore her, like Shinchirou-sama had instructed.

But he soon learned, he was pleasantly wrong. Standing on the other side of the door was Nina, her hands behind her back, as she swayed back and forth, smiling to herself, and with her, still in cat form, was Leo. Jirou opened the door quickly, leaping back as he almost hit himself with it's hard wood.

"Nina!"

"Hi, Jirou-kun!" she reached out and hugged him. He accepted it, reaching up and patting her on the back. So far, she was the only girl he'd hugged. Well, he'd only hugged two so far, the other being Shinchirou-sama, so his owner was so far the only boy he'd hugged.

"Nina came to apologize about the other night. I should have known you were going by a different name."

"That's alright. Everything worked out pretty well. He calls me Jirou too now."

Nina smiled,(really she hadn't stopped smiling) and Jirou moved aside to let her into the house, gesturing. Leo had run past them when the door opened, and was already playing with Gorou and Nana, who had finally woken up and come over when they realized he was there. The three cats tumbled around on the ground, running through the halls and laughing as Nina and Jirou took seats at the couch.

"That's good to hear. Have you been happy?"

"Yes. It's my dream come true."

"Then Nina is happy too."

It was then that Gorou, Nana, and Leo came running into the room, all three excited.

"What is it?" Jirou asked, looking around, but seeing nothing that should excite them so.

"Leo said we could be humans too!" Nana said, jumping up and down like he was on a pogostick.

"Yeah, we want to see what it's like." Gorou added. Jirou was surprised, but not against the idea. It would be really cool to see them as humans.

"Gorou and Nana want to be human too." he explained to Nina, who also became excited at the idea, jumping up and digging into her pocket. "It's a good thing Nina had some spare treats made today before school." She pulled out the same treats as last time, and handed them to Jirou. The Siamese bent down and held them out to Gorou and Nana, who gobbled them up, their sandy tongues tickling his human skin like it never had when they were all cats. There was a blinding flash of light, the same one Jirou remembered from when he and Leo had turned into humans, and then, when it was gone, Gorou and Nana both stood in front of him, looking the same as they always had to him, but most definitely taller, their tails and ears gone.

"Gorou, you're a human!" Nana chirped, and Gorou put his hands on Nana's head and ruffled his brown hair wildly.

"So are you!"

"Aww! Nana-kun is so cute!" Nina gasped, taking in the young cat's baby face and delicate features. Then she looked at Gorou admiringly, taking in his long limbs and dark hair. "And Gorou-san is very handsome!"

The black cat puffed up proudly, liking the compliment. If he still had his tail, Jirou imagined it would have been swishing back and forth. Nana grabbed Gorou's arm, a little jealous, even though he too had been complimented. Gorou, not noticing, grabbed Nana by his arm back, and tugged excitedly.

"Come on Nana, we have to explore!"

"Yeah!"

The two ran outside, which they'd seen a million times, just not from this vantage point. Jirou, Nina, and Leo, who was now also in human form, followed them out, and while Leo ran to join them, Jirou leaned against the door, smiling serenely. He loved Shinchirou-sama very much, but lately, around him, he'd been such a spaz, showing time and again that he knew nothing of this world, and embarrassing himself. It was nice to feel like himself again around Gorou and Nana, calm and the older, wiser one.

"So, was that boy your boyfriend?" he asked conversationally to Nina, who didn't even blush, nodding happily.

"Yes. Hiroki-kun is Nina's boyfriend."

"And does he know about you?"

"Yes."

"That's good." It must have been a relief, to not have to hide your biggest secret, a secret that was a part of you, from the person you loved the most. Jirou hoped that one day, maybe, there wouldn't be any secrets between him and Shinchirou-sama.

"Does anyone else know about you?"

"Yes. My best friend Ayu-dear, and her boyfriend, Tetsushi. And of course, the humans I'm staying with."

That wasn't as many people as it sounded. Out of the whole world, only a handful knew Nina's secret. She was the only one who understood how hard it was to live while hiding. Was that why she had come to check up on him?

If so, Jirou was grateful. It felt nice to have a friend.

It felt human.

"Hey, Jirou!" Gorou called, taking the Siamese' attention off his conversation. "Come wrestle me!"

Jirou smirked at the younger boy, folding his arms. "Why?"

"You always win now that you're human. But now that I'm human too, you're going down!"

Jirou had suspected that the constant losing of their wrestling matches had not been easy on Gorou, and was therefore, not surprised at this challenge. He considered a few moments, while a breeze went by, kicking up some leaves. By the time they were gone, Gorou was in front of Jirou, tackling him to the ground, giving him no real choice in the matter. Jirou hit the ground, instantly dirtying the clothes he was wearing, staining them grandly.

"Go Gorou!" Nana cheered, obviously cheering for his boyfriend. Not surprisingly though, the kind cat followed it up with, "Go, Jirou-niichan!"

Gorou was winning, both stronger and younger, but Jirou fought back as best as could, and he found himself laughing. Gorou was the same size as him as again. It felt great. He knew it was selfish, wanting the best of both worlds, and he was fine with settling with what he had. But he was happy to be playing with Gorou again, on a more equal playing field.

*(*)

When Nina finally left, Gorou and Nana took their treats easily, transitioning back into their natural form and meowing their goodbyes, which could no longer be understood by the witch. For just a moment, as they were taking them, Jirou imagined taking it too, going back to the form he'd lived in his whole life. But while the thought held some nostalgia to it, that couldn't outweigh the sadness he would have felt at losing the form he'd always wanted.

"Nina will visit again." the witch promised, and she and Leo made her departure, the cat boy still in human form.

Once they were gone, Jirou started making dinner. Shinchirou-sama would be home soon, and he would be hungry. Jirou's cooking skills still weren't amazing, but if he went simple, he might be able to pull off something decent.

When he was finished, he left it in in the oven to keep warm, then took a quick shower, washing away all the dirt that was on him after his day of play. Gorou had won their first match, but still challenged Jirou again. This time, Jirou won, so of course, Gorou had to go in for the kill on the third match. After that, they'd gone around the neighborhood, excited to explore it as humans together.

Just as he was drying his hair, Jirou heard Shinchirou-sama come in. He went out, smiling serenely.

"Welcome home."

"I'm home." Shinchirou-sama said back, and Jirou took his coat from him and hung it up. They chatted about their days, and Jirou wanted to tell him that Nina had stopped by, but then stopped himself. There was really no way of explaining how Nina could have known where Jirou lived.

When they were done with dinner they went and watched TV. It was then that Jirou noticed Shinchirou-sama staring heavily ahead, a sadness weighing in his eyes.

"Shinchirou-sama, are you alright?"

His master looked over, and nodded, smiling weakly. "Yes. I was just thinking...that maybe I should hold a funeral."

"A funeral!?" Jirou repeated. He obviously had not been to one, but he knew that that was what humans did when someone had died, and they were burying them underground. "Did someone die?" There was no way it had been Shinchirou-sama's mother, his master would not be nearly as calm. Maybe a coworker? But why would Shinchirou-sama have to take the responsibility of holding a coworkers' funeral?

"No. Well...That's the thing. I don't know."

That was odd. Did humans hold funerals for people they weren't _sure_ were dead?

The next words out of his owner's mouth stopped the cat's confusion.

Instead, he was instantly filled with a poignant heartache.

"I wanted to hold one for Jirou."


	11. Chapter 11

_New chapter! Huzzah. Wait...didn't I say I would update CAF next?_

 _Shit._

 _Well._

 _Next time._

 _For...sure..._

 _Maybe._

 **Belle-** _I don't know if either of those would work on Shinchirou. He'd never fall for the fake cat gag, and no way he'd ever just accept someone taking him. If you want to be depressing though, along those lines, say someone showed up and said they ran him over or something, and had already disposed of the body._

 **Chapter 11**

There was a long, drawn out pause that filled the room, creeping into the corners and cracks. Jirou wasn't sure if Shinchirou-sama was waiting on input from him. And if he was, he had no idea what to say. How do respond to somebody saying they were going to have a funeral, while having no idea that the one they were having the funeral for was the one sitting next to them, knowing that nope, they are not dead, but unable to say anything in their defense, since it would raise too many questions and red flags?

"O-oh. Your cat."

"Yes. Jirou would never have left." Shinchirou-sama seemed confident as he said this, and Jirou felt a small bubble of happiness, despite his current sadness. Shinchirou-sama _had_ known how much he loved him, known that he would never leave him, that he was by his side until the end. But then he followed it with, "At least...I don't think so." Because now, now the human wasn't completely sure that Jirou hadn't been capable of leaving.

 _No,_ Jirou thought. _I wouldn't._

"So that probably means that...that he's..." His owner didn't finish the sentence, and instead let out a big and heavy sigh that came from deep inside him. In response, Jirou scooted a little closer, wanting to physically comfort his owner in this time of grief. He'd always been there to make Shinchirou-sama feel better. But before, he'd been significantly smaller, and could (and would) curl on his master's chest or lap, and purr softly, hoping to make him feel better. And even though it might have been a little conceited to think, he thought he always did really well. Shinchirou-sama would smile, and start petting him, talking softly as he told him whatever was bothering him. Jirou would offer advice that his loved one couldn't understand. But now he could.

So he should say something.

"I...I think..." For for some reason, it was just so hard to get the next few words out. "You should do it. If it would make you feel better, you definitely...definitely should."

"Jirou-kun?"

The Siamese, who had looked away, staring at his hands, looked up, into the concerned of Shinchirou-sama.

"Are you alright?"

Suddenly, for the first time since he'd become human, he did not feel alright. This whole situation was wrong, and he couldn't figure out exactly why it bothered him so much. But there was no way for him to articulate all this.

Nana suddenly leaped up into his lap. Jirou had been so focused on what was happening that he hadn't even noticed the smaller cat coming over, so he jumped, startled. But then he gratefully put his hands on Nana, squeezing him just a little. Not enough to hurt him. Just enough to tell the small cat how much _he_ was hurting. In response, the brown cat made a sound that was pure cat, a low sound of sadness, and rubbed his head against Jirou softly.

"Are you okay, Jirou nii-chan?" he asked softly, and Jirou nodded, in reply to both of them.

"I'm okay." Because he was. Yes, this was hurting him, but he was okay. He had everything he wanted. Mostly. He also wanted Shinchirou-sama to love him the same way, but he wasn't going to wait for a second witch to show up and say she could make that happen. And even if she did, he wouldn't ever do that, ever take away his master's will to love anyone.

Guilt. That's what this was. He was lying to Shinchirou-sama, and it was causing him pain.

That was it.

And...

He just didn't like it. Shinchirou-sama thinking he was gone forever like that.

"Are you sure? You seem upset."

That was Shinchirou speaking. Nana was quietly rubbing into Jirou still, his tail flicking back and forth in distress for the boy he considered an older brother.

"No. I'm okay."

This time, he really tried to sound like he was. Shinchiro-sama would know if he was faking, so he had to look genuine. "You should do it. Yes. You should do it."

Out loud, those were the words he spoke.

But in his heart, he was saying other things.

 _Tell him._

 _Tell him the truth._

But he just...couldn't, could he? The human might think he was nuts, and finally regret taking home some random boy from off the streets.

"Nana? Where ar-"

Gorou had come into the room now too, looking for Nana, and when he spotted him, he cut himself off. He looked between the three of them, and silently padded over. Without even knowing the situation, he also went to Jirou, and put a much smaller hand on him gently, quiet.

"Gorou and Nana seem worried about you too."

Jirou smiled, and reached down to put a hand on each of their heads.

"But I'm really okay."

Neither Gorou or Nana, or Shinchirou-sama looked like they believed him. But they all let it go.

*(*)

So, a few nights later, just as the sun was going down, both Jirou and Shinchirou-sama, and Gorou and Nana, were outside, as the human laid a small box into the earth. Inside it were a few things of Jirou's, some toys, and, more heartbreakingly, the collar he'd worn as kitten. He'd gotten to be too big for it, naturally, and after Shinchirou-sama had taken it off him and put on another, he hadn't given it a second thought. When his owner had reached into his bedside table and pulled it out, Jirou's breath caught in his throat. The human had kept that, all this time? It was just a collar, there was nothing special about it.

But he still had it.

And now, it was being buried in Jirou's place.

Shinchirou-sama stood up, and somberly spoke.

"Jirou...I hope you know how much I loved you."

 _"I did. I do."_ Jirou thought.

"And I hope you know how happy you made me."

Silence, but only as Shinchirou-sama thought of what he wanted to say next. "And...I'm so sorry I couldn't be there, to protect you, from whatever it is that happened. If you're...really dead, and that's more than likely the case, I should have been there to protect you. I hope so much...that you weren't scared in your final moments. And...if you're still alive, lost out there somewhere, or worse, I hope..."

The human stopped there, unable to say whatever it was he was going to say next. Gorou was somber, and next to him, Nana burst into tears, like they were at a real funeral. But Jirou knew that the small cat was just sad for him, and for Shinchirou-sama. His tears broke the dam that had held back his tears, and they spilled out of Jirou's eyes, falling down onto the box that was his grave. Shinchirou-sama noticed them, and looked over, his eyes widening.

"Jirou...what's wrong?"

The Siamese shook his head, lifting his hands to his eyes to silently wipe away the tears. What could he say, to explain himself?

"Please, tell me Jirou-kun."

Jirou opened his mouth to say again that he was alright. But the shame and guilt washed through him, and all that came out was a loud sob.

"I don't want you to be sad Shinchirou-sama!" he cried, unable to contain it. He had hurt his master. The man he loved. He'd caused him pain, and grief. He wasn't trying to wipe the tears away more, just holding his hands over his eyes, so that Shinchirou-sama wouldn't have to see them, and so that he wouldn't have to see the sad look on Shinchirou-sama's face anymore.

But they were suddenly pulled away from his face, the touch gentle but firm. Shinchirou-sama was inches in front of him, and once he and Jirou were face to face again, he smiled.

Then, the world moved into slow motion as his owner leaned forward, capturing his lips against his. Everything stopped moving altogether.

Shinchirou-sama was kissing him.

* * *

 _Well, that's it for today. (Tonight actually) I have to pack my suitcase, and I'm leaving in a couple hours so...well, not that soon. But still, I'm a dumbass who doesn't let the time I have to get up affect the time I go to sleep._


	12. Chapter 12

**Belle- Yeah, I honestly had not expected that to happen so fast, but at the same time it was sort of planned. It's hard to explain, I guess.**

 **I had promised myself I wouldn't go to bed until I finished this chapter, but now it's after five and I have work tomorrow. And besides, I want to make it longer, so instead of that, I'll keep going, that way I can at least make it up for taking so long.**

 **Listening to, "I can go the distance," was surprisingly helpful. It's not like it fits Jirou, but in some ways, boy, it really does.**

 **And meanwhile, dammit, MAGI IS BREAKING MY FRAGILE, SUICIDAL KOKORO. Alibaba is over here fighting the people he's trying to protect, but while they are fighting to kill, he's just trying to stop them until Aladdin does what he needs to do, so they have an advantage there, because they're fighting to kill. And Aladdin is going to FUCKING DIE, YOU THINK I CAN'T TELL A DAMN DEATH SPEECH WHEN I HEAR ONE ALADDIN? I mean, Alibaba finally remembered he could do instant teleportation/moving faster than the eye can process move, so that was cool.**

 **Chapter 12**

Vaguely, Jirou thinks he hears a couple of gasps near his feet, ones that would clearly come from Gorou and Nana, but he doesn't have the head space to confirm this sound. All his attention is on his master, who, seconds before, was holding a very touching funeral for a cat he thought was gone, but now...

But _now..._

Now he was kissing Jirou. His hands were still holding Jirou's wrists, but his touch was gentle. Gentle enough that Jirou understood without being told that this was in case the Siamese wanted to pull out of the kiss. But he did not. He would not. For his entire life, he'd imagined what it would be like to kiss Shinchirou-sama, for Shinchirou-sama to kiss him, kisses that weren't just on the top of his head, between his ears, placed on what he thought was just a cat.

And now, he was blowing it. He was too stunned, and he wasn't doing any of the things he'd wanted if this kiss ever actually happened. He'd imagined closing his eyes, holding his master closer, and kissing back. But he was just standing there, too surprised to move, his heart beating way too fast, eyes wide open, thoughts ricocheting off his brain and skull.

Why was Shinchirou-sama kissing him? Was it because he had been crying? Had the human only been trying to stop him, to comfort him? Or, by some miracle, by some miraculous, divine intervention, did he like Jirou back? What in the world could Jirou have done to win his affections, if this was somehow the case? All he'd done so far was cause problems with his mother and act like a serious spaz.

This all happened in only seconds, and of course, eventually, Shinchirou-sama's body moved in a way that meant he was going to pull out of the kiss. It was only then that Jirou finally realized what he was about to lose, and he practically threw himself forward, knocking Shinchirou backward a few steps, closing his eyes and wrapping his arms Shinchirou-sama, clenching the back of the human's soft shirt in his suddenly trembling hands. He didn't care why Shinchirou was kissing him, not in that second, because it was all he'd ever wanted, and dreamed, and if was going to be the only kiss he ever got, he had to make it last a moment longer.

His heart was still thumping erratically in his chest, so hard, and so loud, that Jirou knew that the human could feel it, could probably hear it. In return, he was pressed close enough that he could feel his master's heartbeat too. It was a familiar sensation, because he'd often felt this beat when he was laying on the human's chest. He hadn't realized how much he had missed feeling it, until this very second, when he finally had it back.

When the two pulled apart, Jirou was gasping for air, not because the kiss had lasted that long, simply because all the air had left him. Tears were still leaking from his eyes, but they were just leftovers, and once they'd fallen, he was left staring up at Shinchirou-sama in silence, waiting, trembling in a bizarre mixture of happiness and fear. What if the kiss had only been to comfort Jirou? Would Shinchirou-sama get upset?

But Shinchirou-sama was smiling at him, and one hand went up to Jirou's head, and he rested it there softly. In return, wishing to return the touch, Jirou put his hand on his master's chest, not pushing or pulling, just feeling. In that moment, he'd never felt more connected to anyone, more at peace.

"Shin...Shinchirou-sama?" He had to speak sooner or later, didn't he? "Why did...why did you kiss me?"

He tried to steel himself internally, to be prepared if the human said it was just to get him to stop crying, and that it hadn't meant anything. But it was impossible, and he knew that if he heard those words, a part of him might die inside.

To his surprise, the words out of Shinchirou's mouth were not ones he'd considered at all.

"I'm sorry, Jirou-kun."

An apology? Immediately, all the worst case scenarios came to mind. This was an apology for the misleading kiss, because it hadn't meant anything, and maybe he was even going to kick the cat out.

"I didn't mean to surprise you like that. It's just...how should I say this?" The human was seeming at a loss for words himself, which astonished Jirou, because he'd never thought maybe his owner didn't know what he was doing or saying. He always seemed very in control, aware, like he was planning each step carefully, or maybe had planned it years ago, and was sticking to it religiously.

"Hmm. Maybe we should go inside? The front yard seems too public."

And he's right. There are cars driving by, and people, mostly children, playing in yards. One boy seems to have noticed what has just transpired, staring at Shinchirou and Jirou like he's calculating a math problem, holding a ball in his small hands as his sibling tries to catch his attention.

"But, what about..." Jirou looks at the small box holding his belongings, still visible to the rest of the earth besides the cold part it is resting in. The black haired male nods, and quietly kneels down, putting his hands together and offering a silent prayer. And even though it's weird of him, Jirou hates to think how rude he would come off he didn't do the same, so he too gets on his knees, dirtying the new pants his owner had bought for him, and copying his owner's movements, putting his hands together and pretending to pray. Really, his focus remains on the man next to him, because even if he can't see him, he can feel him, smell him, and hear him.

This goes on for longer than Jirou would like, but he doesn't hurry his owner along, and gives him all the time he needs. Once enough time has passed for him to have pretended to end his own prayer, he remains sitting in the dirt, his hands in his lap. He glances briefly around for Gorou and Nana. The black and brown cats seemed to have vanished completely, and he wondered when they had made their exit. They had been the last thing on his mind, so he hadn't noticed at all.

It stays so quiet for so long that he jumps when Shinchirou-sama suddenly moves, and begins putting dirt on the coffin. Jirou hurries to help, because even though it stills knots his stomach to do this to Shinchirou-sama, and even though it still feels strange, he really wants to hurry inside so he can hear the rest of what the human had to say. But those thoughts fly out of his mind when he glances sideways at his master, and sees that the human is crying. Not large, loud tears, the way his had been. They aren't even escaping the confines of his gentle brown eyes. But it's impossible not to notice the light sheen over them, the way water builds, like behind a dam that the human wasn't allowing to break.

The guilt returns, heavier than before.

But Shinchirou-sama smiles, and sighs, then turns to Jirou. "Shall we go inside?"

Butterflies dance in his stomach, but Jirou manages a nod, and stands up. Tries to, anyway. He's been sitting so long, with his legs under him, that they've lost all the blood in them, and he crumples back to the ground. Shinchirou-sama, who has had much more practice sitting in this manner, is unfazed, and manages to catch Jirou by the arm. He laughs lightly. "Sorry, I shouldn't have stayed there so long."

Jirou shakes his head. "No, it's alright. You loved him a lot, right?" And luckily Shinchirou-sama doesn't know the truth of his identity, or he would know how desperate this was.

"I do. He was my best friend. I honestly...I hadn't been planning on getting a cat at all, but I found him, just a kitten, left alone in the rain. And I couldn't just leave him alone." Shinchiro smiled, a very beautiful smile. "He became my best friend. I know this sounds silly, but I could tell he really loved me too. He didn't just act like we were acquaintances who lived in the same house, the way some cats do. He would wait for me to come home, and watch me leave, and at night he would sleep on my chest. There was only one night where he didn't."

Jirou's heart jumped. He remembered the mouse too, and not only that, but he'd seen how much Jirou loved him, he'd felt it, they'd had a real and true bond. It hadn't all been in his head, which he didn't really believe, but sometimes feared all the same. He nodded, and maybe adrenaline was still rushing through his body, because suddenly he found himself hugging Shinchirou-sama tightly, burying his face into his shirt. If he still had his tail, he knew it would be wrapping around Shinchirou-sama, anyway to feel closer.

"Shinchirou-sama." he said softly, and it wasn't the beginning of a sentence, or question, he just wanted to say it, and how could he have ever gotten so lucky as to have this man be the man who found him?

"Do you think that's weird."

Jirou shook his head, which was still buried in shirt fabric. "I don't think it's weird at all. After all, you saved me, didn't you? You brought me home too, and we became friends, didn't we?" Shinchirou nodded, something he couldn't see, but felt in the motion of the human's body. "So why would it be strange just because it was with a cat?"

Could Shinchirou-sama feel how much _he_ loved him? Really, it was the same person, so if he felt it when he was a cat, maybe he still could.

"Thank you, Jirou-kun. I think you saved me too."

Jirou pulled out of the hold he had on Shinchirou-sama only a little to ask. "How?"

"Let's go inside. I think we have a lot to talk about."

*(*)

Jirou's leg was bouncing up and down, and he couldn't stop it no matter how hard he tried. After getting inside, Shinchirou-sama had asked him to sit, so he had, but then Shinchirou-sama had gone to make tea for them to drink. And even though he'd learned to make tea himself, so he knew it didn't take that long, it felt like an eternity.

Gorou and Nana had appeared, but only briefly, dashing from one room to another, and even though they were out of sight, Jirou could hear them nearby, and he had a feeling they were listening too.

He took deep breaths, trying to calm down a little. When that did not work, he shut his eyes too. He could hear Shinchirou-sama in the kitchen, and he listened to his master's gentle steps. Outside, a car was going by, and a dog barked. The children across the street laughed. Maybe he could try thinking about something else, as impossible as that seemed. The only thing other than Shinchirou-sama that sometimes crossed his mind was Nina. How was she? Were her and her boyfriend happy? If only he knew what school she went to, he would try to find her. He wanted to thank her again, and maybe to be her friend. He'd never had a human friend before.

"Here you go."

Jirou had been so focused on his thoughts, and on the sounds in the background, that he hadn't realized Shinchirou-sama had come back until the moment he put down the tray holding their drinks. He straightened up, and nodded. "Thank you."

Shinchirou-sama cocked an eyebrow, smiling with half his mouth. "You sound so formal all of a sudden, Jirou-kun."

"I'm sorry."

"It's nothing to apologize over."

"I'm sorry."

That's when the human laughed lightly, and sat down next to Jirou.

"Sorry it took me so long. I was trying to think of the right thing to say."

Oh, so maybe there had been a reason behind feeling like Shinchirou-sama was taking a while. Jirou had assumed it was just his wanting time to move faster.

"It's okay." He took a sip of the tea, watching as little ripples ran through it, starting from the middle and working their way out to the edge of the mug. Not realizing his hand was unsteady, Jirou was completely caught off guard when it almost slipped from his grip. Somehow, he managed to catch it, and looked up, embarrassed that Shinchirou-sama had seen him. Naturally, he had.

"Are you alright? You didn't get any on you, did you?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm alright."

Neither of them said anything after this, which was nerve racking, to say the least. He could sense that the human _did_ want to say something though, so he waited, even though it was killing him a little. Finally, his waiting paid off, and Shinchirou-sama spoke.

"I like you, Jirou-kun."

Jirou blinked a few times, and hoped he wasn't imagining this. But maybe the human didn't mean it that way. He had to clear it up.

"You like me?" When Shinchirou-sama nodded, he continued. "Like...like...like you want..." Flustered, he couldn't think of the right words to say, and maybe he could have if he knew more human words. There had to be something he could have said to phrase this better than saying the same word three times.

"Like I want to kiss you."

"Like...like you want to kiss me?"

"Yes."

"And you...want to..." His face flushed red. He looked so stupid right now. Why couldn't he think of the right things to say!?

"I want to go out with you, Jirou-kun." Shinchirou-sama suddenly sounded much more nervous, and Jirou looked him in the face, despite being as embarrassed as he was. Was the human afraid of what he was going to say in return? He made a noise in his throat, one that sounded more catlike than human, one that conveyed the emotions he was feelings.

"I l-love you too, Shinchirou-sama!" he gasped out, curling his hands into fists so tightly that he had to pull back for fear of hurting himself. He knew Shinchirou-sama hadn't said, "love," he'd said, "like," but "like" wasn't enough to convey what Jirou felt. He would take "like." "Like" was fine with him. With time, "like," could become "Love."

Shinchirou-sama went wide eyed in surprise. "Really?"

Jirou nodded strongly. "Yes! I've always loved you! Since the day we m-met!" Everything he'd always wanted to say, it was pouring out of his mouth faster than Jirou could handle, and quickly, he began to lose his composure, stuttering and stammering. "I-I l-love you. I love you s-s-so much!" The world was spinning, and Jirou reached out a hand to steady himself. It didn't land on the couch like he'd planned though, Shinchirou-sama caught it in one of his own.

"Calm down, Jirou-kun. Calm down."

He tried, but it was hard.

"I-I-I-"

"Calm down. You're going to hyperventilate."

Jirou didn't know what that meant, but it probably wasn't good, whatever it was. "Okay. Okay."

Finally, after what seemed like ages, his breathing calmed. Shinchirou-sama put a hand on his head.

"Jirou-kun...are you sure you don't just like me because I saved you? Because I'm the only person you know?"

Jirou shook his head adamantly. "No, Shinchirou-sama! I've known for a long time that I've loved you, and even if I met others, I would only love you! Please, believe me!"

Shinchirou-sama was surprised at his small outburst, but it also turned out to be the right thing to say, because he smiled, and pulled Jirou into his arms again, hugging him tightly. "I do believe you, Jirou-kun. I believe you. Meeting you has been the greatest thing to happen to me. Before you came, I was happy, but I was afraid of who I am...but if it means I get to stay with you...I don't think I'm afraid."

Jirou nodded, hugging his master back tightly. "I love you, Shinchirou-sama." he said, tears moving down his cheeks again. But this time, they were tears of joy, of happiness. His dream, the thing he'd thought impossible...It had finally happened. He and Shinchirou-sama were together, in love, and he could stay with him forever.


End file.
